Post by FLCeltsFan on Jan 7, 2021 22:20:31 GMT -5
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Washington Wizards (2-6) at Boston Celtics (6-3)
Regular Season Game [HASH]10, Home Game [HASH]4
Friday, January 8, 2021
7:30 PM ET
TV: NBCSB, NBCSWA, NBA-LP
Radio: WBZ-FM, WFED 1500 AM
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Marcus Smart vs Russell Westbrook
Shooting Guard
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Bradley Beal
Small Forward
vs
Semi Ojeleye vs Deni Avdija
Power Forward
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Rui Hachimura
Center
vs
Daniel Theis vs Thomas Bryant
Celtics Reserves
Aaron Nesmith
Payton Pritchard
Tremont Waters
Tacko Fall
Injuries
Romeo Langford (wrist) out
Kemba Walker (knee) out
Javonte Green (covid 19 protocols) questionable
Jeff Teague (ankle) questionable
Carsen Edwards (covid) questionable
Grant Williams (covid) questionable
Robert Williams (covid) questionable
Tristan Thompson (covid) questionable
Head Coach
Brad Stevens
Wizards Reserves
Davis Bertans
Troy Brown, Jr
Anthony Gill
Robin Lopez
Garrison Matthews
Raul Neto
Anzejs Pasecniks
Jerome Robinson
Ish Smith
Moritz Wagner
Cassius Winston
Injuries
Russell Westbrook (finger) game time decision
Head Coach
Scott Brooks
Game Notes
The Celtics are back at home after a 4 game road trip. They are hosting the Washington Wizards who are on the 4th game of their own 4 game road trip. The Wizards are also playing in the first of back to back games. They will play at home on Saturday vs the Miami Heat. The Celtics play again on Sunday against the Heat who will be playing in back to back games.
The Wizards won the series last season 2-1. They won their only game in the bubble against the Celtics in their final seeding game. The Celtics are 192-116 all time against the Wizards. These two teams will play once again in the first half of the season on February 28, once again in Boston.
The Celtics could be very short handed in this game. It was announced on Friday that Grant Williams, Robert Williams, Tristan Thompson, and Carsen Edwards are all questionable for this game for health and safety protocols. Hopefully it is just contact tracing and not a positive covid test and that they won't be out long.
Kemba Walker is still out with for knee rehab. Romeo Langford is out for rehab from wrist surgery. Javonte Green is still out due to covid protocols. And Jeff Teague is questionable after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. Russell Westbook left Wednesday's game with a dislocated finger and is a game time decision for this game.
It is hard to predict who will start for the Celtics because we don't know who will be out and who will be available. If Tristan Thompson can play, I expect him to start. If he is out, I'm going to guess that Semi will start at the three and Tatum will move to the four. Or, it's possible that Tremont Waters will start at the point and everyone moves up one position. I've listed the Wizards starters from their last game.
Key Matchups
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal is coming off a career game with 60 points. He is averaging 34.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. Beal played in just one game vs the Celtics last season and had 44 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in that game. He is definitely a threat to score every minute he is in the game. The Celtics have to play tough defense on him.
vs
Marcus Smart vs Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is new to the Wizards but has picked up right where he left off with the Rockets. He is averaging a triple double of 20.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 11.8 assists. The is only the 2nd player in league history to have a triple double in each of his first 4 games. He has averaged 25.9 points over his career against the Celtics.
Honorable Mention
Daniel Theis vs Thomas Bryant
Depending on the final injury report before the game, this could be Tristan Thompson against Thomas Bryant. Bryant is averaging 17.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. However guards him needs to guard him closely as he is shooting 66.7% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense will always be the key to winning. The Celtics had a top 4 defense last season but for some reason, this season they have struggled on the defensive end although they have shown some flashes of playing tough defense. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 111.5 (21st) while the Wizards have a defensive rating of 115.2 (29th). The Celtics must get back to making defense a priority and give a better effort on that end of the court consistently.
Rebound - The Celtics are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game while the Wizards are averaging 42.6 rebounds per game. If ever there was proof that much of rebounding is effort, it would be Payton Pritchard's 6 rebounds against the Heat. All of the Celtics have to put out the extra effort to grab rebounds and match or exceed the Wizards efforts on the boards if they want to get a win in this game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team from start to finish. They need to be aggressive in going to the hoop, in crashing the boards, in fighting for loose balls and in running the court. They also have to be more aggressive on defense. They have to be the team that wants it more. Especially if they are short handed, they will need to play with extra effort.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics play best when they move the ball and find the open man. When they over dribble and when players try to play hero ball, it doesn't usually end well. But, they have to be careful with their passes because the Wizards are 3rd with 20.1 points off turnovers per game and they will make the Celtics pay if they get careless.
X-Factors
Next Man Up - The Celtics may be very short handed. If some or all of the players who are questionable can't play, it will be up to the players that are healthy and on the court to step up and play harder. The Wizards could be at full strength if Westbrook plays, but I'm going to guess that he may sit out since they will be playing back to back and that would give his finger an extra game to heal. Regardless, the Celtics must step up and fill in the gaps.
Home Again - The Celtics are home again and so should get a boost from being back on their home court, even though there are no fans there. They have the benefit of sleeping in their own beds and having their family there. On the other hand, the Wizards are on their 4th straight road game, which could leave them somewhat fatigued.
Officiating - The officiating is always an X-Factor. Some crews call games tight and call every little thing and so the game has no flow. Some crews let teams play and allow a lot of contact. Some refs favor the home team and some favor the road team. The Celtics need to adjust their game to the way the refs are calling it and not let bad calls affect their focus.
Washington Wizards (2-6) at Boston Celtics (6-3)
Regular Season Game [HASH]10, Home Game [HASH]4
Friday, January 8, 2021
7:30 PM ET
TV: NBCSB, NBCSWA, NBA-LP
Radio: WBZ-FM, WFED 1500 AM
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Marcus Smart vs Russell Westbrook
Shooting Guard
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Bradley Beal
Small Forward
vs
Semi Ojeleye vs Deni Avdija
Power Forward
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Rui Hachimura
Center
vs
Daniel Theis vs Thomas Bryant
Celtics Reserves
Aaron Nesmith
Payton Pritchard
Tremont Waters
Tacko Fall
Injuries
Romeo Langford (wrist) out
Kemba Walker (knee) out
Javonte Green (covid 19 protocols) questionable
Jeff Teague (ankle) questionable
Carsen Edwards (covid) questionable
Grant Williams (covid) questionable
Robert Williams (covid) questionable
Tristan Thompson (covid) questionable
Head Coach
Brad Stevens
Wizards Reserves
Davis Bertans
Troy Brown, Jr
Anthony Gill
Robin Lopez
Garrison Matthews
Raul Neto
Anzejs Pasecniks
Jerome Robinson
Ish Smith
Moritz Wagner
Cassius Winston
Injuries
Russell Westbrook (finger) game time decision
Head Coach
Scott Brooks
Game Notes
The Celtics are back at home after a 4 game road trip. They are hosting the Washington Wizards who are on the 4th game of their own 4 game road trip. The Wizards are also playing in the first of back to back games. They will play at home on Saturday vs the Miami Heat. The Celtics play again on Sunday against the Heat who will be playing in back to back games.
The Wizards won the series last season 2-1. They won their only game in the bubble against the Celtics in their final seeding game. The Celtics are 192-116 all time against the Wizards. These two teams will play once again in the first half of the season on February 28, once again in Boston.
The Celtics could be very short handed in this game. It was announced on Friday that Grant Williams, Robert Williams, Tristan Thompson, and Carsen Edwards are all questionable for this game for health and safety protocols. Hopefully it is just contact tracing and not a positive covid test and that they won't be out long.
Kemba Walker is still out with for knee rehab. Romeo Langford is out for rehab from wrist surgery. Javonte Green is still out due to covid protocols. And Jeff Teague is questionable after missing the last two games with an ankle injury. Russell Westbook left Wednesday's game with a dislocated finger and is a game time decision for this game.
It is hard to predict who will start for the Celtics because we don't know who will be out and who will be available. If Tristan Thompson can play, I expect him to start. If he is out, I'm going to guess that Semi will start at the three and Tatum will move to the four. Or, it's possible that Tremont Waters will start at the point and everyone moves up one position. I've listed the Wizards starters from their last game.
Key Matchups
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Bradley Beal
Bradley Beal is coming off a career game with 60 points. He is averaging 34.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. Beal played in just one game vs the Celtics last season and had 44 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists in that game. He is definitely a threat to score every minute he is in the game. The Celtics have to play tough defense on him.
vs
Marcus Smart vs Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is new to the Wizards but has picked up right where he left off with the Rockets. He is averaging a triple double of 20.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 11.8 assists. The is only the 2nd player in league history to have a triple double in each of his first 4 games. He has averaged 25.9 points over his career against the Celtics.
Honorable Mention
Daniel Theis vs Thomas Bryant
Depending on the final injury report before the game, this could be Tristan Thompson against Thomas Bryant. Bryant is averaging 17.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. However guards him needs to guard him closely as he is shooting 66.7% from the field and 45% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense will always be the key to winning. The Celtics had a top 4 defense last season but for some reason, this season they have struggled on the defensive end although they have shown some flashes of playing tough defense. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 111.5 (21st) while the Wizards have a defensive rating of 115.2 (29th). The Celtics must get back to making defense a priority and give a better effort on that end of the court consistently.
Rebound - The Celtics are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game while the Wizards are averaging 42.6 rebounds per game. If ever there was proof that much of rebounding is effort, it would be Payton Pritchard's 6 rebounds against the Heat. All of the Celtics have to put out the extra effort to grab rebounds and match or exceed the Wizards efforts on the boards if they want to get a win in this game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to be the more aggressive team from start to finish. They need to be aggressive in going to the hoop, in crashing the boards, in fighting for loose balls and in running the court. They also have to be more aggressive on defense. They have to be the team that wants it more. Especially if they are short handed, they will need to play with extra effort.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics play best when they move the ball and find the open man. When they over dribble and when players try to play hero ball, it doesn't usually end well. But, they have to be careful with their passes because the Wizards are 3rd with 20.1 points off turnovers per game and they will make the Celtics pay if they get careless.
X-Factors
Next Man Up - The Celtics may be very short handed. If some or all of the players who are questionable can't play, it will be up to the players that are healthy and on the court to step up and play harder. The Wizards could be at full strength if Westbrook plays, but I'm going to guess that he may sit out since they will be playing back to back and that would give his finger an extra game to heal. Regardless, the Celtics must step up and fill in the gaps.
Home Again - The Celtics are home again and so should get a boost from being back on their home court, even though there are no fans there. They have the benefit of sleeping in their own beds and having their family there. On the other hand, the Wizards are on their 4th straight road game, which could leave them somewhat fatigued.
Officiating - The officiating is always an X-Factor. Some crews call games tight and call every little thing and so the game has no flow. Some crews let teams play and allow a lot of contact. Some refs favor the home team and some favor the road team. The Celtics need to adjust their game to the way the refs are calling it and not let bad calls affect their focus.