Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 5, 2018 21:37:19 GMT -5
at 
Chicago Bulls (27-51) at Boston Celtics (53-25)
Friday, April 6, 2018
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]79, Home Game [HASH]39
TV: NBCSB, NBCSCH, NBA-LP 759(DTV)/756(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WIND-AM 560
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs 
Terry Rozier vs Cameron Payne
Shooting Guard
vs 
Jaylen Brown vs David Nwaba
Small Forward
vs 
Jayson Tatum vs Justin Holiday
Power Forward
vs 
Al Horford vs Lauri Markkanen
Center
vs 
Aron Baynes vs Robin Lopez
Celtics Reserves
Abdel Nader
Semi Ojeleye
Greg Monroe
Guerschon Yabusele
Jabari Bird
Xavier Silas ?
Jonathan Gibson ?
Injuries
Gordon Hayward (ankle) out
Daniel Theis (knee) out
Kyrie Irving (knee) out
Marcus Smart (thumb) out
Shane Larkin (illness) day to day
Two Way Players
Kadeem Allen
Jabari Bird
Head Coach
Brad Stevens
ReservesRyan Arcidiacono
Omer Asik
Jarell Eddie
Christiano Felicio
Jerian Grant
Sean Kilpatrick
Bobby Portis
Injuries
Antonio Blakeney (wrist) out
Kris Dunn (toe) out
Zach LaVine (patella) out
Denzel Valentine (knee) out
Paul Zipser (foot) out
Noah Vonleh (calf) questionable
Robin Lopez (rest) questionable
Two Way Players
Ryan Arcidiacono
Antonio Blakeney
Head Coach
Fred Hoiberg
Game Notes
The Celtics head down the stretch with a home game against the Chicago Bulls. This is the 4th and final game against the Bulls this season. The Celtics are 2-1 in the series so far. The Bulls won the first game 108-85 this season on December 11 in Chicago. Marcus Smart started that game at the point with Kyrie out. Mirotic scored 24 points, Portis added a career-high 23.
The Celtics won the second game 117-92 on December 23 in Boston. Portis and Mirotic once again led the way for the Bulls. The Celtics won the 3rd game 105-89 on March 5 in Chicago. Mirotic was no longer with the team and the Bulls were led by Denzel Valentine with 20 points on the bench.
The Celtics have lost their last 2 games. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games and 25-13 at home. They remain in 2nd place in the East, 3 games behind the Raptors and 5 ahead of the Cavaliers. The Bulls have won 3 straight and are 3-7 in their last 10 games. They are 10-29 on the road. They are 11th in the East, 15 games out of the playoffs and 5.5 games ahead of Atlanta for last place.
The Bulls actually have more injuries than the Celtics. Antonio Blakeney (wrist), Kris Dunn (toe), Zach LaVine (patella), Denzel Valentine (knee) and Paul Zipser (foot) are all listed as out. Noah Vonleh left Tuesday's game with a strained calf and is questionable for this game. He will be a game time decision.
Robin Lopez missed Tuesday's game for rest and may or may not play in this game since they almost shut him down for the season once just before Adam Silver started to cut down on tanking. Christiano Felicio will likely start at center if they indeed shut Lopez down for the season. The Bulls have signed Jarell Eddie, who played for the Celtics on a 10 day contract and also Sean Kilpatrick, who almost signed with the Celtics before the Bulls made him a better offer.
For the Celtics, Marcus Smart (thumb), Kyrie Irving (knee), Daniel Theis (knee), and Gordon Hayward (ankle) are all still out as expected. Terry Rozier returned to the lineup for Wednesday's game, but with the second seed cemented for them, they may choose to rest him again if his ankle isn't 100%. Shane Larkin missed both games on the road trip with an illness and is day to day.
The Celtics reportedly signed Jonathan Gibson for the rest of the season. I'm not sure if he will be available for this game. Gibson played in the Chinese Basketball Association this season, averaging 33.7 points. Xavier Silas had been on a 10 day contract but I'm not sure if he was waived to bring in Gibson since the team is already at the limit.
Key Matchups
vs Al Horford vs Lauri Markkanen
Markkanen is averaging 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists. He is shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc. He is a good young player who has been a bright spot for the Bulls this season.
vs Jayson Tatum vs Justin Holiday
Holiday is averaging 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.09 steals. He is shooting 36.8% from beyond the arc and so Tatum will need to stick with him on the perimeter.
Honorable Mention
Marcus Morris vs Bobby Portis
Portis has played very well against the Celtics so far this season. He had 23 points in the first game and 17 points and 8 rebounds in the second game, starting both games. He is averaging 13.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.7 assists for the season. Portis is now coming off the bench but is still a threat to score for the Bulls.
Keys to the Game
Rebound - The Celtics must box out and crash the boards. They can't score without the ball and it will take extra effort on their part to grab the rebounds. The Celtics are grabbing 44.3 rebounds per game while the Bulls are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game, good for 6th in the league. The Celtics were out-rebounded by the Raptors and they need to work harder to keep the same thing from happening in this game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be aggressive on defense, in going after loose balls, in rebounding, and just all around going all out. They have to aggressively attack the basket. They need to start the game with that aggressive attitude and be aggressive through the whole game with no let up. They can't let the Bulls outwork them, or they may end up with a loss.
Play Defense - Defense wins games. The Celtics are tops in the league with a defensive rating of 101.4. The Bulls have a defensive rating of 108.8. The Celtics need to continue to make defense a priority and they need a strong defensive effort from every player.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics need to move the ball and find the open man. When they move the ball, good things usually happen. When the ball stops and players try to do too much, the offense bogs down and the Celtics have trouble scoring. But they also have to be carefull with their passes. They got sloppy against the Raptors, turning the ball over 18 times and it's difficult to win when you give the opponent that many extra possessions.
X-Factors
Home Game - The Celtics are back home and should get motivation from the home crowd. The Bulls are just 10-29 on the road and are a young team. Young teams often can get rattled on the road and hopefully the Garden crowd will be loud and give the home team a boost and rattle the young Bulls at the same time. The crowd also needs to give a boost to the road weary Celtics.
Depth - Both teams are decimated by injuries. Both will be playing short handed and with a several young players. Which team will have the better depth to withstand the injuries and come out with a win?
Something to Play For? - The Celtics are cemented into the 2nd spot. They have little or no chance to move up or down in the standings. They may see resting players more important at this point than pressing for a win. The Bulls on the other hand have won 3 straight. They are tied with New York in the tanking standings and just a game behind Brooklyn. They may see losing as more important to them now than a meaningless win that would move them down in the standings.
