Post by FLCeltsFan on Apr 7, 2016 21:50:08 GMT -5
at 
Milwaukee Bucks (32-46) at Boston Celtics (46-32)
Friday, April 8, 2016
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game [HASH]79 – Home Game [HASH]39
TV: CSN-NE, FSN-WI, NBA-LP 757(DTV)/754(Xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 105.7 FM, Sirius 106
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
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Tyler Zeller
Kelly Olynyk
Head Coach
Brad Stevens
Injuries
Evan Turner
Marcus Smart
Probable Starters
PG
SG
SF
PF
C
Rashad Vaughn ...Johnny O'Bryant...Giannis Antetokounmpo...Jabari Parker...Greg Monroe
Bucks Reserves
Miles Plumlee
John Henson
Greivis Vasquez
Damien Inglis
Tyler Ennis
Injuries
Jerryd Bayless (knee) out
Michael Carter-Williams (hip) out
OJ Mayo (ankle) out
Steve Novak (knee) out
Khris Middleton (thigh) doubtful
Head Coach
Jason Kidd
Game Notes
The Celtics host the Milwaukee Bucks for the 4th and final game between them this season. The Celtics lead the series 2-1. The Celtics won 99-83 in Milwaukee in November and 112-107 on February 25, while the Bucks won 112-111 in Milwaukee on February 9.The Celtics are 26-12 at home while the Bucks are 9-29 on the road.
The Celtics were a bit sluggish against the very short handed Pelicans on Wednesday as they tried to get acclimated once again to Eastern time. They will need to play better than they did in that game in order to get a win against the Bucks. Even though Milwaukee has lost 7 of their last 10 games, they are still a very long and athletic team with "The Greek Freak" leading the way.
The Bucks are also dealing with injuries with Jerryd Bayless(knee), Michael Carter-Williams(hip), OJ Mayo (ankle), and Steve Novak (knee) all out. Khris Middleton, the Bucks leading scorer at 18.2 ppg, didn't practice on Thursday and is considered doubtful for this game. Evan Turner (eye abrasion) is expected to play but with goggles to protect the eye. He will likely be a game time decision. Marcus Smart received 4 stitches in his eye on Wednesday and is expected to play in this one. Jae Crowder will play but is still trying to get his conditioning back after coming back from the ankle injury.
The Celtics are back in 4th place in the East. They are 1/2 game behind Atlanta (3) and 1/2 game ahead of Miami (5). They are 1 game ahead of Charlotte (6). and 4 games ahead of Indiana (7). Milwaukee is 12th, 1.5 games ahead of New York and is playing for ping pong balls. Games to watch: BKN@CHA and MIA@ORL.
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 16.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists per game. Since the Bucks made Antetokounmpo their primary ball handler in early February, he has averaged 19 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.8 assists and has been very aggressive. He will be a challenge for Jae to have to deal with on both ends of the court
vs Jared Sullinger vs Greg Monroe
Monroe is big and strong and tough to keep out of the paint and off the boards. Sully is going to have to use every bit of his bulk to muscle him away from the basket. Monroe is averaging 15.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He averaged 22 points and 11.3 rebounds in the 3 games vs the Celtics this season.
Honorable Mention
Amir Johnson vs Jabari Parker
Parker is averaging 13.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists this season. However, over his last 4 games he is averaging 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He scored 22 points against the Celtics in their last meeting. Amir Johnson has been playing very well for the Celtics since shaking the Plantar fasciitis that was plaguing him earlier in the season. He will need to play tough on both ends of the court in this game.
Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics need to get back to playing tough team defense and making that a priority. The Celtics beat the Warriors with that tough defense but it slipped a bit once again against the Pelicans. 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 have averaged 62 points in the paint in their past 3 games.
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 need to take care of the ball while trying to force the Bucks into turnovers on the other end.
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 weren't the more aggressive team against the Pelicans for much of the game and they struggled to win a game that should have been a blow out. They have to be aggressive in going after loose balls and on defense and going to the basket and grabbing rebounds. 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
Focus - With Miami and Atlanta both winning on Thursday night, the Celtics need to be motivated to keep up with them in order to have a chance at the 3rd (preferably) or the 4th seed. They have to use that motivation to keep them focused and playing at the highest level to keep winning. They tend to lose focus from time to time and they can't afford to do that if they hope to have home court in the first round of the playoffs.
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.
