Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 24, 2016 21:40:43 GMT -5
at 
Milwaukee Bucks (24-33) at Boston Celtics (33-25)
Thursday, February 25, 2016
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]59 – Home Game [HASH]28
TV: CSN-NE, FSN-WI, NBA-LP 753(DTV)/753(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WTMJ AM 620
TD Garden
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Probable Starters
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
Isaiah Thomas...Avery Bradley...Jae Crowder...Amir Johnson...Jared Sullinger
Celtics Reserves
Evan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller
Marcus Smart
Head Coach
Brad Stevens
Injuries
Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) out
Marcus Smart (thumb) probable
Avery Bradley (knee) probable
Isaiah Thomas (wrist) probable
Probable Starters
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
OJ Mayo ...Khris Middleton...Giannis Antetokounmpo...Jabari Parker...Miles Plumlee
Bucks Reserves
Steve Novak
Johnny O'Bryant
Greg Monroe
Rashad Vaughn
Michael Carter-Williams
Tyler Ennis
Injuries
Jerryd Bayless (knee) out
John Henson (back) out
Greivis Vasquez (ankle) out
Damien Inglis (D-League) out
Head Coach
Jason Kidd
Game Notes
The Celtics return from their 1-2 post All Star road trip to face the Milwaukee Bucks at home. This game begins a 5 game home stand, their longest of the season to date. The series between these teams is tied at 1-1. The Celtics won 99-83 in Milwaukee in November while the Bucks won 112-111 in Milwaukee on February 9. They will meet one more time in Boston on April 3.
The Celtics are 17-10 at home and know that they need to protect their home court. The Bucks have struggled on the road with just 8 wins and 24 losses away from hom. The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games while the Bucks are 4-6 in their last 10. The Celtics have won 8 straight at home.
The Bucks are a bit short handed with Jerryd Bayless (knee), Jon Henson (back) and Greivis Vasquez (ankle) all out for this game. In addition, Damien Inglis is on assignment with the Bucks D-League affiliate. Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) will be once again out for the Celtics. Isaiah Thomas did not practice on Wednesday because of a wrist injury on his shooting hand, the same wrist that has been surgically repaired twice. Marcus Smart (thumb) and Avery Bradley (knee) have both been playing through injuries and are expected to play.
When the Bucks and Celtics last met, Jason Kidd changed up his starting lineup to move Monroe to the bench and it worked out well for that game as Monroe finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. He is expected to continue to come off the bench in this game.
Michael Carter-Williams was also moved to the bench with OJ Mayo starting in his place. Carter-Williams is 3-0 in Boston when he plays. He had 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in their last meeting on February 9. The Bucks waived Chris Copeland and signed Steve Novak on February 22.
Key Matchups
vs Jae Crowder vs Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo, aka the Greek Freak, is like no other small forward in the league. He is 6'11" tall and very athletic. He is averaging 16.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game and will be a challenge for Jae to have to deal with on both ends of the court. The Bucks have been using Antetokounmpo to bring the ball up in recent games and according to coach Jason Kidd they will continue to do that in this game. He stated that they plan to get him the ball as soon as possible and then have everyone run. The Celtics have to concentrate on denying him from getting the ball.
vs Avery Bradley vs Khris Middleton
Middleton is a candidate for most improved this season. He is averaging 17.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and is shooting 40.1% from beyond the arc. Avery will need to stay with him on defense, especially on the perimeter because if he is left open, he will make them pay.
Honorable Mention
Jared Sullinger vs Miles Plumlee/Greg Monroe
Monroe was rumored to be considering the Celtics this summer but he instead chose the Bucks and is playing well for them. He is averaging 16.5 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 0.9 blocks. Kidd is trying to shake up the rotations by starting Plumlee, who is averaging 3.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in 10 minutes per game. Monroe is expected to come off the bench but get the majority of the minutes at center. In the 2/9 game, he also came off the bench and finished with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Sully will need to play him tough on defense to keep him from having another big game. Perhaps we will get to see Mickey get a few minutes once again.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics need to get back to what had them rolling before the break, and that is tough team defense. The Bucks average 98.6 points and allow 102.8 while the Celtics average 106.1 points and allow 102.1. After being in the top 5 on defense, the Celtics have dropped to 15th. On their 1-2 road trip, they allowed their opponents to shoot 50.9%. The Celtics are capable of so much better defense and they need to get back to playing tough defense as a team. The Celtics especially need to defend the paint as the Bucks are first in the league in scoring in the paint with 49.6 per game.
Run! - The Celtics are very effective when they run on every possession and run on defense as well. They need to run on offense to get easy shots before the defenses get set up. They also need to run on defense to get set up to prevent the Bucks from getting easy baskets. The Celtics have to utilize their depth by running the other team off the court.
Take Care of the Ball - The Bucks are very long and athletic. The Celtics need to make careful passes and take care not to allow the Bucks to force turnovers. Both teams are good at forcing turnovers and scoring off of them. The Celtics are 3rd, with 18.9 points off turnovers per game, while the Bucks are 5th with 18.5 points off turnovers per game.
Rebound - The Celtics can't score if they don't have the ball. The Bucks are long and athletic and so the Celtics are going to have to work to win the battle of the boards. It takes effort to rebound and when the Celtics put out that extra effort to get rebounds, it usually translates to other areas of their game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team from start to finish. They have to be aggressive in going after loose balls and on defense and going to the basket and grabbing rebounds. The more aggressive team usually gets the benefit of the calls also. They need to be the team that wants it more for all 48 minutes. No let up.
Play as a Team- The Celtics need to move the ball to find the open man with the best shots. They can't play hero ball as that never ends well. The Celtics struggle when they have fewer than 20 assists and they excel when they have more than 20 assists. But to get assists they also have to hit their shots along with sharing the ball. If the 3's aren't falling they need to get into the paint.
X-Factors
Back Home - The Celtics are back home and have had 2 days off after their road trip. They have had enough time to shake off the rust from the All Star break and they should be ready to defend home court in this one. They should get a boost from the home crowd as well.
Officiating - The officiating is always an x-factor. Whether because of the tendencies of individual refs, or an agenda on behalf of the refs or the league, each game is officiated differently and that can favor or throw a team off on any given night. The Celtics have to be able to shake off bad calls and just play their game.
