Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 8, 2019 21:44:07 GMT -5
at 
Boston Celtics (48.33) at Wizards (32-49)
Regular Season Game [HASH]82, Road Game [HASH]41
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
7:00 PM ET
TV: TNT, NBCSB
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WFED 1500 AM
Capital One Arena
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs 
Terry Rozier vs Thomas Satoransky
Shooting Guard
vs 
Jaylen Brown vs Bradley Beal
Small Forward
vs 
PJ Dozier vs Troy Brown Jr
Power Forward
vs 
Semi Ojeleye vs Bobby Portis
Center
vs 
Robert Williams III vs Thomas Bryant
Celtics Reserves
Guerschon Yabusele
Brad Wanamaker
RJ Hunter
Injuries
Aron Baynes (ankle) out
Gordon Hayward (ankle) out
Al Horford (knee) out
Kyrie Irving (knee) out
Marcus Morris (knee) out
Marcus Smart (oblique) out
Jayson Tatum (shin)out
Jaylen Brown (back) probable
Daniel Theis (foot questionable
Guershon Yabusele (foot) probable
Two Way Players
P. J. Dozier
RJ Hunter
Head Coach
Brad Stevens
Wizards Reserves
Sam Dekker
Jeff Green
Ian Mahinmi
Chasson Randle
Injuries
Dwight Howard (back) out
John Wall (Achilles) out
Trevor Ariza (groin) out
Jordan McRae (Achilles) questionable
Jabari Parker (knee) questionable
Two Way Players
Jordan McRae
Devin Robinson
Head Coach
Scott Brooks
Game Notes
The Celtics (or what's left of them) travel to Washington DC to take on the Washington Wizards. This is the 3rd and final meeting between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first meeting 130-125 in overtime in Washington and they won the second game 107-96 in Boston.
The Celtics are locked into 4th place and will host the Indiana Pacers when the playoffs start this weekend. The Celtics are 5-5 in their last 10 games and 20-20 on the road.
The Wizards have been out of the playoffs for some time and are locked into 11th in the East. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and 22-18 at home.
The Celtics will have just a skeleton crew out there for this game. They have 7 players listed as out and one more as questionable (Daniel Theis). Guerschon Yabusele and Jaylen Brown are probable. I've taken a wild guess as to who will be starting for the Celtics. There aren't a lot of possibilities. And, there aren't a lot of players to come off the bench.
The Wizards have Trevor Ariza (groin), Dwight Howard (back) and John Wall (Achilles) all listed as out. Jabari Parcker is listed as questionable with knee soreness but they will likely be cautious with him since that knee has already been surgically repaired twice. Jordan McRae is also questionable with a sore Achilles. With all the Celtics sitting out, they may choose to sit out a few more players as well.
Key Matchups
vs Jaylen Brown vs Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal is averaging 25.7 points and 5.5 assists per game. He had 22 in the first game against the Celtics this season and 29 points and 11 rebounds in their second meeting. He is the one player that the Celtics need to slow down. I'm guessing that Jaylen Brown will be the one tasked with covering Beal and trying to slow him down.
vs Semi Ojeleye vs Bobby Portis
Again, it's just a guess but Semi Ojeleye will probably start opposite Bobby Portis, who is averaging 14.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. This may be a fun matchup to watch.
Honorable Mention
RJ Hunter vs Jeff Green
There aren't many players left to come off the bench for the Celtics. I'm going to guess that both of our 2 Way players will get extended playing time in this one and RJ Hunter may be matched up with Jeff Green, who is averaging 12.4 points, 4 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He had 22 points and 10 rebounds in the first game between these two teams and 15 points in the second. He always looks to have a big game against his former team.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense wins games, even meaningless games at the end of the season. The Wizards are averaging 114.1 points per game while the Celtics are averaging 112.3 points per game. However, they may find scoring hard to come by with all of the players out. With the scarcity of players, hopefully they can still play some defense.
Be Aggressive - This is a chance for players who don't get a lot of playing time to show what they can do. They need to be aggressive and play hard and maybe show that they can be trusted with playing time should they be needed in the playoffs.
Rebound - The Celtics don't have a lot of bigs left but much of rebounding is effort and desire and so the Celtics need to work hard to crash the boards as a team and beat the Wizards to rebounds.
Just Survive - This is a meaningless game and won't affect the Celtics in the standings. The Celtics will be very short handed and even though they will want to win, their main priority should be to survive this game without any further injuries.
X-Factors
Next Man Up - The Celtics are very short handed and so the players that are healthy and on the court will have to step up and give 120%. They need to make up for both key offensive and defensive players who are out. It's a chance for the young players to show what they can do.
On the Road - The Celtics are on the road to close out the season. There will be the usual distractions of playing on the road along with playing in front of a hostile crowd. It's tough to win on the road when the team is at full strength but with just a skeleton out there it will be even tougher.
