Bucks (26-52) at Celtics (62-16) 4/11

[FLCeltsFan]

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Milwaukee Bucks (26-52) at Boston Celtics (62-16)
Friday, April 11
7:30 PM ET
Game #79, Home Game #40
TV: NBA LP ch754, CSNHD, FSN Wisconsin
TD Banknorth Garden




Probable Starting Lineup
PG Rajon Rondo PPG 10.5 | APG 5.1 | SPG 1.7
SG Ray Allen PPG 18.4 | APG 3.1 | 3P% .404
SF Paul Pierce PPG 20.2 | RPG 5.3 | APG 4.7
PF Kevin Garnett PPG 18.8 | RPG 9.7 | BPG 1.2
C Kendrick Perkins PPG 7.5 | RPG 6.2 | BPG 1.5

Off the Bench
Eddie House, James Posey, Leon Powe, Tony Allen, PJ Brown, Brian Scalabrine, Gabe Pruitt

Injury Report
Scot Pollard, ankle, out
Sam Cassell, back, day to day




Probable Starting Lineup
PG Ramon Sessions PPG 5.5 | APG 4.8 | SPG 0.7
SG Michael Redd PPG 23.5 | RPG 3.6 | 3P% .363
SF Desmond Mason PPG 9.4 | RPG 4.5 | APG 2.1
PF Charlie Villanueva PPG 10.9 | RPG 5.6 | BPG .5
C Andrew Bogut PPG 13.6 | RPG 9.4 | BPG 1.8

Off the Bench
Jake Voskuhl, Dan Gadzuric, Michael Ruffin, Bobby Simmons, Awvee Storey, Royal Ivey, Jake Voskuhl

Injuries
Charlie Bell, knee, out
Yi Jianlian, wrist, out
Mo Williams, pubic symphysitis, day to day

Key Matchups
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Charlie Villanueva


vs
Kendrick Perkins vs Andrew Bogut


Keys to the Game
Play 48 minutes The starters built a big lead in the last game between these two teams and the Bucks were able to chip away at it forcing the bench to win it in overtime. The Celtics need to come out strong and play hard until the end.

Defense The Celtics need to keep up their defensive intensity whether it is the starters or the bench on the court. Their defense against the Bucks and then against the Wizards has been sub par. They need to get back to playing the kind of defense that got them here.

Take Care of the Ball The Celtics have been turning the ball over at an alarming rate. They need to start taking better care of the ball and try to lower turnovers starting with this game because when they get into the playoffs, turning the ball over 20 times could cost them the game.

Hit Free Throws In the past two games, the Celtics have missed 7 out of 21 and 11 out of 39 free throws. This is another area where they need to improve before the playoffs.

Game Notes
The Celtics have won all three matches against the Bucks this season. In the last game, the bench blew a big lead and went on to win the game in overtime.

The Bucks are 7-32 on the road and 3-13 against the Atlantic division teams. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games and have lost 4 in a row. The Celtics are coming off a loss to the Wizards and will be looking to get back on track to build momentum toward the playoffs. I expect to see the regular starting lineup begin the game but play around 20 minutes or less. This is truly a meaningless game for the Celtics other than trying to build momentum going into the playoffs. They have a game the following night against the Hawks, who they will probably meet in the first round and they will want to send them a message so I expect the starters to get more rest in this game so they can play more the following night if needed.

[findawgg]

Enjoyed this game a great deal despite the disparity in the score. Boston was defensively aggressive through out. Perk and Big Baby swatting shots despite a 20+ point lead had me fired up.

--Fin