Celtics (3-0) at Hornets (1-2) Preseason Game #4 10/11/17

[FLCeltsFan]

at
Boston Celtics (3-0) at Charlotte Hornets (1-2)
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
7:00 PM ET
Preseason Game [HASH]4, Road Game [HASH]2
TV: ESPN, NBCSB
Radio: 100.7 WZLX, WFNZ 610 AM
Spectrum Center



Possible Starters

PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Gordon Hayward
PF: Marcus Morris
C: Al Horford

Celtics Reserves
Kadeem Allen
Jabari Bird
Jonathan Holmes
Shane Larkin
Marcus Morris
Abdel Nader
Semi Ojeleye
LJ Peak
Terry Rozier
Marcus Smart
Jayson Tatum
Daniel Theis
Andrew White
Guerschon Yabusele

Injuries
Aron Baynes (knee) questionable




Possible Starters

PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Malik Monk
SF: Michael Kidd Gilchrist
PF: Marvin Williams
C: Dwight Howard

Probable Reserves
Dwayne Bacon
Terry Henderson
Isaiah Hicks
Frank Kaminsky
Mangok Mathiang
Johnny O'Bryant
Marcus Paige
Luke Petrasek
TJ Williams
Cody Zeller

Injuries
Michael Carter Williams (knees) day to day
Julyan Stone (hamstring) day to day
Treveon Graham (hamstring) out
Jeremy Lamb (groin) day to day
Nicolas Batum (elbow) out
Kemba Walker (face) game time decision

Head Coach
Steve Clifford

Game Notes
The Celtics look to close out their preseason slate in the same way it began, with a win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Celtics got a 94-82 win at the TD Garden on opening night and now they look to close it out at the Spectrum Center. This is the Celtics final preseason game while the Hornets have one more on Friday the 13th against the Mavericks.

Marcus Morris has yet to suit up and play for the Celtics this preseason and I'm going to guess that they take this final preseason game to give him some court time with his new teammates. With Aron Baynes suffering a knee injury in Wednesday's game vs the Sixers, I've listed Morris in the starting lineup at power forward, where he is expected to play much of the time this season. If Morris is yet again out, Jayson Tatum will likely get the start at the four.

The Hornets are dealing with several injuries, the most serious one being to starting shooting guard Nicolas Batum who has a torn ligament in his elbow and is out. Jeremy Lamb left Monday's game with a sore hamstring and is day to day. Julyan Stone is also day to day with a sore hamstring. Treveon Graham is out with a hamstring injury.

Michael Carter Williams has not been cleared for contact with soreness in both knees and is questionable. Kemba Walker left Monday's game after being hit in the cheek and didn't return. He is listed as a game time decision.

Key Matchups
vs
Kyrie Irving vs Kemba Walker
Assuming that both Kemba and Kyrie play in this game, this should be a good matchup. The Celtics need to take this last opportunity to build chemistry and work on teamwork. In their first meeting, Kyrie finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while Kemba had 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.

vs
Gordon Hayward vs Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Gordon Hayward hasn't seemed to be completely comfortable with his place in the Celtics offense. He will once again be matched up with the former rookie of the year, Michael Kidd Gilchrist in his 5th season with the Hornets. Hayward needs to play well and get more comfortable with his role in the offense.

Honorable Mention
Al Horford vs Dwight Howard
With Aron Baynes likely sidelined with a knee injury, it will be up to Al to slow down Howard. In the first game between these two teams, Howard had 7 points, 10 rebounds 3 blocks and 6 turnovers. If Al can hound him on defense, he can possibly force him to turn the ball over again in this game.


Keys to the Game:
Defense - Defense is the key to winning every game, whether the preseason or the regular season or the playoffs. The Celtics defense has been pretty good so far but there is also room for improvement. This is their final preseason chance to show that they will be a top defensive team this season.

Chemistry - The Celtics have built some chemistry in the 3 games so far this preseason but still have a ways to go. Their ball movement has been good and they have taken care of the ball. They are averaging just 14 turnovers, the 3rd fewest in the preseason. They are also averaging 21.7 assists on 36 made baskets. This is their final run through and hopefully their chemistry will continue to build in this one.

Rebound - The Celtics struggled with rebounding last season and hopefully this team will be better at crashing the boards. So far so good in the preseason. The Celtics are averaging 49.7 rebounds, good for 3rd most in the league. The Celtics can't score without the ball and so they need to continue to stress the need to rebound.

X-Factors
Final Preseason Game - This is the final preseason game for the Celtics and while it would be great to remain undefeated, they want to finish without any more injuries. If the starters play, it won't be for a whole game and we will still see plenty of the reserves.

[DERRENMATTS]

What I want to see in this final tune up game before the season starts is the 2nd unit continuing to play with energy and chemistry. They looked really good last game, and also in the previous one to that.

I'm not worried about the starters -- they're professionals who'll figure how to play together. But if our bench is strong, we're really going to be tough to beat.

Also interested in seeing Marcus Morris.

[jmost]

Me too re Morris. Unless a guy is a star, or we've played against him in a playoff series, I never have a good handle on him until I see him in a Celtic uniform.

[jhvos7979]

Hoping Morris improve on his rebounding especially not playing along side with Drummond.

It'll be interesting to say the least on his play.

[DERRENMATTS]

So far, I've heard Morris say he's going to be our enforcer and he's going to focus on rebounds.

I can see a strong bench (in time) of Smart, Rozier, Tatum, Morris and Theis.

[DERRENMATTS]

Great scott!!! We can put up points in a hurry. Was a tie game early in the second. Just like that we're up by 14.

[DERRENMATTS]

At the half, 57 - 38. I think we're ready for the regular season.

In the Hornets last 2 games (vs the Pistons and the Heat), they scored 108 and 106 pts. This is a team that can score.

When they played us in their 1st preseason game, we kept them to 82 pts.

Tonight, we might keep them to 76 pts.

As Brad said last week, our defense is ahead of our offense.

[DERRENMATTS]

For the second half, I'd like to see us cause more turnovers and secure more rebounds (we gave up 5 offensive boards already -- way too much).

[DERRENMATTS]

Charlotte is definitely an offensive minded team. They keep fighting their way back.

I'd like to see our team finish this last quarter on a high note.

[Roadrunner]

Youtube has the "quick & easy" version of the game, about 10-minutes long. BOS got up big, rested all the starters, then CHA clawed back. Not Celtics related, I was watching D-Howard, and was amazed his game is the polar opposite of his youth. Showed good moves on the offense, but can not guard on the defense.