Post by FLCeltsFan on Dec 3, 2021 23:48:57 GMT -5
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Boston Celtics (12-11) at Portland Trail Blazers (11-12)
Saturday, December 4, 2021
10:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]24, Road Game [HASH]14
TV: NBCSB, ROOT-SP, NBA-LP
Radio: WBZ-FM, KPOJ
Moda Center
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Marcus Smart vs Anfernee Simons
Shooting Guard
vs
Dennis Schroder vs CJ McCollum
Small Forward
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Tony Snell
Power Forward
vs
Al Horford vs Robert Covington
Center
vs
Robert Williams III vs Jusuf Nurkic
Celtics Reserves
Bruno Fernando
Juancho Hernangomez
Enes Freedom
Jabari Parker
Payton Pritchard
Josh Richardson
Aaron Nesmith
Grant Williams
Injuries
Jaylen Brown (injury management) questionable
Romeo Langford (ankle) questionable
Two-Way Players
Sam Hauser
Brodric Thomas
Head Coach
Ime Udoka
Trail Blazers Reserves
Greg Brown III
CJ Elleby
Ben McLemore
Larry Nance, Jr
Norman Powell
Dennis Smith, Jr
Cody Zeller
Injuries
Anfernee Simons (ankle) game time decision
Damian Lillard (abdomen) out
Nassir Little (ankle) out
Two Way Players
Keljin Blevins
Trendon Watford
Head Coach
Chauncey Billups
Game Notes
The Celtics continue their West Coast trip with their second game in as many days as they take on the Portland Trail Blazers. This is the second of a 5 game road trip for the Celtics. They lost a tough game in Utah on Friday. They will continue with two games in LA vs the Lakers and Clippers and close out the trip with the red hot Phoenix Suns. Portland is playing in the 3rd game of a 4 game home stand. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will play in Boston on January 21.
The Celtics are 8th in the East and have won 2 games in a row before losing to the Jazz. They are 6-7 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 4-3 against Western Conference opponents. The Trail Blazers are 9th in the West and are coming off a loss at home, only their 2nd home loss this season. They are 10-2 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 5-3 against Eastern Conference teams.
These two teams split the series 1-1 last season with each team winning on the road. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games. They are 3-1 so far in the second game of back to back sets. They are 2-0 when the back to back games are both on the road. The Trail Blazers last played on Thursday.
Jaylen Brown is questionable for this game due to injury management for his sore hamstring. He missed Friday's game against the Jazz and he may have been held out of just the front of the back to back games but he was seen grabbing his hamstring in Wednesday's game against the 76ers and so he may be held out again until the hamstring is completely healed. Romeo Langford left Friday's game after rolling his ankle. He is also questionable for this game and both will likely be a game time decision.
For the Trail Blazers, Anfernee Simons rolled his ankle in Thursday's loss to the Spurs and is questionable for this game. They are already without Damian Lillard, who is out with an abdominal injury, and Simons was starting at the point in his place. If Simons can't play, Dennis Smith, Jr. is likely next in line to start. Nassir Little is also out with an ankle injury.
Key Matchups
vs
Dennis Schroder vs CJ McCollum
With Lillard out, McCollum is the Blazers first option. It will be important for the Celtics to slow him down. He is averaging 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He is shooting 42.6% from the field and 39.6% from beyond the arc. Last season in the two games against the Celtics, he averaged 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He also shot 42.1% from three against them. This may be Jaylen Brown vs McCollum if he is cleared to play in this one.
vs
Robert Williams III vs Jusuf Nurkic
Nurkic is averaging 12.4 points, 10.6 rebounds,and 2.3 assists. He is shooting 58.2% from the field and 23.5% from beyond the arc. Last season in the two games against the Celtics, he averaged 11.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals. He shot 62.5% from the field and 50% from three against them.
Honorable Mention
Marcus Smart vs Anfernee Simons
Simons filled in the last two games for Lillard. He is averaging 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He is shooting 45.9% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc. As stated in the game notes, Simons left Thursday's game in the second quarter after rolling his ankle and did not return. He is listed as a game time decision for this game. If he can't play, I expect Dennis Smith, Jr to be next in line to get the start.
Keys to the Game
Defense - I know I say it every game, but defense is the key to winning every game. The Blazers average 109.2 points and the Celtics average 106.3 points. The Celtics are 5th in the league with a defensive rating of 104.5 while the Blazers are 28th with a defensive rating of 111.8. The Celtics need to continue to make tough defense their priority and identity.
Rebound - The Celtics must make an extra effort to grab rebounds in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to keep the Blazers from cashing in with second chance points. The last time these two teams played, Enes Freedom was on the Blazers and had just pulled down 30 rebounds in the game before that. The Celtics need to be the team that works harder to win the rebounding battle.
Move the Ball Carefully - One of the keys to winning for the Celtics is to move the ball and find the open man. When they play hero ball, it usually doesn't end well. While they have to move the ball, they also have to be careful with their passes. The Celtics have a tendency to get careless and turn the ball over at times and they have to avoid those spurts when they turn the ball over multiple times in a row.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the team that works harder and wants the win more. They have to dive for loose balls, go for every rebound and just hustle on every play on both ends of the court. They have to be aggressive in getting to the basket as well and not settle for outside shots, especially if they still aren't falling. They also need to keep it up for all 48 minutes and not let up from the starting jump ball to the final buzzer.
X-Factors
Back to Back on the Road - The Celtics are on the road and have to deal with travel, a hostile crowd, and an unfamiliar court along with a time change. They have to block out all the distractions that playing on the road brings and concentrate on playing Celtics basketball. The Trail Blazers are tough at home with a 10-2 record at the Moda Center and the Celtics will need to work hard to beat them there. The Celtics are also playing the second game in as many nights after a tough loss on Friday and fatigue may become a factor in this one.
Officiating - I know that I say this every game, but the officiating really is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Some refs favor the home team and some not so much. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let themselves get frustrated by the officiating.
Boston Celtics (12-11) at Portland Trail Blazers (11-12)
Saturday, December 4, 2021
10:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]24, Road Game [HASH]14
TV: NBCSB, ROOT-SP, NBA-LP
Radio: WBZ-FM, KPOJ
Moda Center
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Marcus Smart vs Anfernee Simons
Shooting Guard
vs
Dennis Schroder vs CJ McCollum
Small Forward
vs
Jayson Tatum vs Tony Snell
Power Forward
vs
Al Horford vs Robert Covington
Center
vs
Robert Williams III vs Jusuf Nurkic
Celtics Reserves
Bruno Fernando
Juancho Hernangomez
Enes Freedom
Jabari Parker
Payton Pritchard
Josh Richardson
Aaron Nesmith
Grant Williams
Injuries
Jaylen Brown (injury management) questionable
Romeo Langford (ankle) questionable
Two-Way Players
Sam Hauser
Brodric Thomas
Head Coach
Ime Udoka
Trail Blazers Reserves
Greg Brown III
CJ Elleby
Ben McLemore
Larry Nance, Jr
Norman Powell
Dennis Smith, Jr
Cody Zeller
Injuries
Anfernee Simons (ankle) game time decision
Damian Lillard (abdomen) out
Nassir Little (ankle) out
Two Way Players
Keljin Blevins
Trendon Watford
Head Coach
Chauncey Billups
Game Notes
The Celtics continue their West Coast trip with their second game in as many days as they take on the Portland Trail Blazers. This is the second of a 5 game road trip for the Celtics. They lost a tough game in Utah on Friday. They will continue with two games in LA vs the Lakers and Clippers and close out the trip with the red hot Phoenix Suns. Portland is playing in the 3rd game of a 4 game home stand. This is the first of 2 games between these two teams this season. They will play in Boston on January 21.
The Celtics are 8th in the East and have won 2 games in a row before losing to the Jazz. They are 6-7 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 4-3 against Western Conference opponents. The Trail Blazers are 9th in the West and are coming off a loss at home, only their 2nd home loss this season. They are 10-2 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 5-3 against Eastern Conference teams.
These two teams split the series 1-1 last season with each team winning on the road. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games. They are 3-1 so far in the second game of back to back sets. They are 2-0 when the back to back games are both on the road. The Trail Blazers last played on Thursday.
Jaylen Brown is questionable for this game due to injury management for his sore hamstring. He missed Friday's game against the Jazz and he may have been held out of just the front of the back to back games but he was seen grabbing his hamstring in Wednesday's game against the 76ers and so he may be held out again until the hamstring is completely healed. Romeo Langford left Friday's game after rolling his ankle. He is also questionable for this game and both will likely be a game time decision.
For the Trail Blazers, Anfernee Simons rolled his ankle in Thursday's loss to the Spurs and is questionable for this game. They are already without Damian Lillard, who is out with an abdominal injury, and Simons was starting at the point in his place. If Simons can't play, Dennis Smith, Jr. is likely next in line to start. Nassir Little is also out with an ankle injury.
Key Matchups
vs
Dennis Schroder vs CJ McCollum
With Lillard out, McCollum is the Blazers first option. It will be important for the Celtics to slow him down. He is averaging 20.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. He is shooting 42.6% from the field and 39.6% from beyond the arc. Last season in the two games against the Celtics, he averaged 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists. He also shot 42.1% from three against them. This may be Jaylen Brown vs McCollum if he is cleared to play in this one.
vs
Robert Williams III vs Jusuf Nurkic
Nurkic is averaging 12.4 points, 10.6 rebounds,and 2.3 assists. He is shooting 58.2% from the field and 23.5% from beyond the arc. Last season in the two games against the Celtics, he averaged 11.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 steals. He shot 62.5% from the field and 50% from three against them.
Honorable Mention
Marcus Smart vs Anfernee Simons
Simons filled in the last two games for Lillard. He is averaging 12.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. He is shooting 45.9% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc. As stated in the game notes, Simons left Thursday's game in the second quarter after rolling his ankle and did not return. He is listed as a game time decision for this game. If he can't play, I expect Dennis Smith, Jr to be next in line to get the start.
Keys to the Game
Defense - I know I say it every game, but defense is the key to winning every game. The Blazers average 109.2 points and the Celtics average 106.3 points. The Celtics are 5th in the league with a defensive rating of 104.5 while the Blazers are 28th with a defensive rating of 111.8. The Celtics need to continue to make tough defense their priority and identity.
Rebound - The Celtics must make an extra effort to grab rebounds in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to keep the Blazers from cashing in with second chance points. The last time these two teams played, Enes Freedom was on the Blazers and had just pulled down 30 rebounds in the game before that. The Celtics need to be the team that works harder to win the rebounding battle.
Move the Ball Carefully - One of the keys to winning for the Celtics is to move the ball and find the open man. When they play hero ball, it usually doesn't end well. While they have to move the ball, they also have to be careful with their passes. The Celtics have a tendency to get careless and turn the ball over at times and they have to avoid those spurts when they turn the ball over multiple times in a row.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the team that works harder and wants the win more. They have to dive for loose balls, go for every rebound and just hustle on every play on both ends of the court. They have to be aggressive in getting to the basket as well and not settle for outside shots, especially if they still aren't falling. They also need to keep it up for all 48 minutes and not let up from the starting jump ball to the final buzzer.
X-Factors
Back to Back on the Road - The Celtics are on the road and have to deal with travel, a hostile crowd, and an unfamiliar court along with a time change. They have to block out all the distractions that playing on the road brings and concentrate on playing Celtics basketball. The Trail Blazers are tough at home with a 10-2 record at the Moda Center and the Celtics will need to work hard to beat them there. The Celtics are also playing the second game in as many nights after a tough loss on Friday and fatigue may become a factor in this one.
Officiating - I know that I say this every game, but the officiating really is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Some refs favor the home team and some not so much. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let themselves get frustrated by the officiating.