Celtics (40-26) at Lakers (30-35) Game #67 3/9/19

[FLCeltsFan]

at
Boston Celtics (40-26) at Los Angeles Lakers (30-35)
Regular Season Game [HASH]67 Road Game [HASH]33
Saturday, March 9, 2019
8:30 PM ET
TV: ABC
Radio: WROR 105.7, 710 AM ESPN
Staples Center



Probable Starters
Point Guard: Kyrie Irving ---------------- Shooting Guard: Marcus Smart


Center: Al Horford


Small Forward: Jason Tatum ------------------ Power Forward: Marcus Morris Sr


Celtics Reserves
Terry Rozier III
Daniel Theis
Jaylen Brown
Guerschon Yabusele
Semi Ojeleye
Brad Wanamaker
Aron Baynes
Gordon Hayward
Robert Williams III

Injuries
Kyrie Irving (thigh) probable

Two Way Players
P. J. Dozier
RJ Hunter

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Probable Starters
Point Guard: Rajon Rondo -------------------- Shooting Guard: Reggie Bullock


Center: JaVale McGee


Small Forward: LeBron James -------------------- Power Forward: Josh Hart


Lakers Reserves
Kentavious Caldwell Pope
Isaac Bonga
Mike Muscala
Moritz Wagner

Injuries
Kyle Kuzma (ankle) game time decision
Tyson Chandler (neck) out
Lonzo Ball (ankle) out
Brandon Ingram (shoulder) questionable
Lance Stephenson (foot) out)

Two Way Players
Alex Caruso
Jonathan Williams

Head Coach
Luke Walton

Game Notes
The Celtics continue their 4 game West Coast road trip with a stop in Los Angeles to continue their rivalry with the LA Lakers. This is the 2nd and final game between these two teams this season. The Lakers came from as many as 18 down to beat the Celtics 129-128 in Boston on February 7.

In that game, Former Celtic Rajon Rondo hit the game winner after a scramble for the ball that included a few Laker fouls that weren't called. The Lakers have only lost the season series to the Celtics 3 times since the 2019-2000 season. The Lakers are 5-5 in their last 10 meetings with the Celtics.

The Celtics remain in 5th place in the East, 1 game behind the Sixers, who lost to the Rockets on Friday. They are also 2 games behind the Pacers for 3rd. The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have won their last 2 games. They are 16-16 on the road and 12-13 vs Western Conference teams.

The Lakers are 11th in the West, 6.5 games behind the 8th place Clippers and basically out of the playoff picture. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and are on a 4 game losing streak. They are 18-15 at home and 9-12 vs Eastern Conference teams. Including their time in Minneapolis, these two teams have played 289 times. The Celtics lead the series all time 159-130.

Kyrie Irving missed Wednesday's game vs the Kings but is feeling better and expects to play in this game. Lonzo Ball (ankle) and Tyson Chandler (neck) are both out for the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma (ankle) went through 75% of practice and is a game time decision for this game. Brandon Ingram (shoulder) and Lance Stephenson (foot) are both questionable.

With the Lakers out of the playoff picture, they have said that they plan to limit LeBron's minutes for the rest of the season as well as rest him on back to back games. I'm not sure if he will take kindly to being limited against one of his long time rivals and Kyrie Irving's team, however.

Key Matchups
vs
Jason Tatum vs LeBron James
Tatum has a lot of experience covering James, including last year's Eastern Conference Finals. LeBron is averaging 27.1 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. In the first meeting LeBron led the Lakers with 28 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists. As always, LeBron is next to impossible to contain but if Tatum can at least slow him down, that would be a good thing.

vs
Kyrie Irving vs Rajon Rondo
Rondo is averaging 9.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.6 assists. He always plays his best on national TV and also against his former teams. In the first game against the Celtics, he had 17 points and 10 assists. He made 3 of 4 from beyond the arc and also hit the game winner. You always have to pay close attention to National TV Rondo.

Honorable Mention
Gordon Hayward vs Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Hayward has been playing well on this trip and hopefully will continue that trend as the Celtics need him to be back to his old self to go far in the playoffs. In the last game between these two teams, Caldwell-Pope had 17 points, hitting 5 three pointers. Hayward needs to win this battle off the bench.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense wins games. The Celtics are 4th in the league with a defensive rating of 105.7. The Lakers aren't terrible defensively as they are 13th with a defensive rating of 109.1. The Celtics didn't play very good defense in their first meeting, allowing the Lakers to hit a franchise record 22 three pointers. The Celtics need to play tough lock down defense in this game and not allow the Lakers to gain any confidence.

Rebound - Rebounding takes effort and energy and the Celtics will need both to out-rebound the Lakers. They need to crash the boards and keep the Lakers from getting second chance points and fast breaks. The Celtics are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game while the Lakers are averaging 46.4 rebounds per game. The Lakers are 2nd in points in the paint with 56.4 per game. The Celtics have to crash the boards to limit their put backs and second chance baskets.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to be aggressive in going to the basket, in diving for loose balls, and on defense. They have to aggressively crash the boards. They have to be the team that wants it more. They can't afford to let the Lakers be the team that plays harder.

Take Care of the Ball - The Celtics need to share the ball and make the extra pass to find the best shot possible, But, they also must take care of the ball because the Lakers are 3rd in fast break points with 19.1 per game. If the Celtics get sloppy and turn the ball over, the Lakers will certainly make them pay.

Play the Right Way - The Celtics finally found their grit and heart in their last 2 wins. They have played together on offense and on defense and have moved the ball and made the right play. They have stuck together and have played hard for 48 minutes. They have to continue this if they want to get a win in this game.

X-Factors
On the Road - . The Celtics need to come into the game focused, especially the young guys who sometimes struggle on the road. They need to block out the distractions of playing in a hostile arena and focus on playing the right way. Hopefully they haven't let the LA nightlife take away from their focus on the game.

Celtic Pride - "Beat LA" is one of the most iconic chants in sports. This is a storied rivalry and no matter the circumstances, the Celtics always want to beat the Lakers. It's a matter of pride and the Celtics need to get the job done and "Beat LA" in this game. There is also a matter of avenging the earlier loss in Boston and not allowing the Lakers to sweep the series.

[DERRENMATTS]

Good mood, arch rival, and revenge for losing the previous matchup — all great reasons for us to out forth an honest effort.

[afceltic]

BEAT LA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't stand the Fakers, their "fan base" is the NBA equivalent of Dallas fans in the NFL because they both are delusional and overall frontrunning ignorant fanbases.

[DERRENMATTS]

Yeah! I hope Bird crushes Magic, and McHale embarrasses Rambis, and Parish abuses Kareem!! Those are the thoughts that enter my head when I hear the chant Beat LA.

In the win vs Golden State, Kyrie didn’t need a big scoring night because our ball movement was great (and it helped that Hayward dropped 30). I want to see the same tonight. Ball movement, great energy on defense, and guys enjoying each other.

[DERRENMATTS]

At least for the first half it looks like we’ve reverted to our old habits — not dominating teams we should dominate.

Hoping the second half our guys realize what they need to do and finish off the Lakers by 20.

[afceltic]

Yep for the most part a lot of lazy offense by shooting way to many 3's and occasional defense.

[afceltic]

We did what we had to do to win big. The vibe has seemed to change on this road trip. But the key is consistenty...hope this is the streak that turns the season around.

Indiana plays the 76ers tomorrow so we will either be in 4th as we are only a half game behind Philly or will be one game out of 3rd if Philly wins with one game left against Philly and two against Indiana.

[jmost]

Some good signs. Over 30 assists again. Smart seems to have refound his shooting stroke. Same with Morris. Hayward had his third straight strong game - maybe the first time all season we can say that. TR3 was actually good on the road - not something we can often say. Irving was really good and Al was solid.

I thought both Tatum and Brown were overaggressive, driving the ball into a swarm of defenders instead of moving the ball. Trying to show off for LeBron and Kobe?

Hard to read too much into beating a depleted Laker team, but at this point a win is a win.

btw, I don't know if it's a new scheduling policy but I love that the NBA has us playing all 4 Calif. game on one trip.

[afceltic]

And we get the rematch with the Kings when we get back to Boston. So here's to hopefully going 5-0 vs California.

[Roadrunner]

Nice win. LAL trotted out James, and 4 outcasts. I saw the game on espn.com, game live. I was surprised to see Brad call several strategically placed timeouts, usually right before a LAL run. Play of the game was Smart switching hands, and using the glass with a high layup.

[eja117]

I didn't see the game but the stats are really good. The only thing not great is the rebounds we tied them. Hayward's stats are really encouraging. I wonder if the team has somehow been shamed. They seem to give a darn about each other now. Like certain players that two weeks ago I thought might kill each other seem to suddenly respect each other and be ok with each other doing well. Psychologically I think the fighting and resurgence of Hayward is something they can all get behind.

To me I feel like I'll know they're over the hump when they stop shooting so many lazy threes. I'd say they're 70% of the way to where they need to be and the trajectory is at least mildly positive.