Tip: 7:00 PM Court: Time Warner Cable arena Watch it: CSN Hear it: WEEI
Referees: Monty McCutchen, Kevin Scott, Sean Wright
The Matchup
 |
 |
| Record: 26-22 (2nd Atlantic, 7th East) | Record: 7-39 (5th Southeast, 15th East) |
| On the road: 9-14 | At Home: 4-17 |
| Streak: Won 1 | Streak: Lost 3 |
| Leaders | Leaders |
| Buckets: Pierce (18.6 ppg) | Buckets: Corey Magette (15.4 ppg) |
| Boards: Garnett (8.2 rpg) | Boards: Bismack Biyombo (5.6 rpg) |
| Dimes: Rondo (10.7 apg) | Dimes: D.J. Augestin (6.3 apg) |
| For the Stat Geeks: | For the Stat Geeks: |
| Offensive Rating: 100.3 (27th NBA) | Offensive Rating: 95.6 (30th NBA) |
| Defensive Rating: 99.5 (3rd NBA) | Defensive Rating: 110.0 (29th NBA) |
| Pace: 90.3 (21st NBA) | Pace: 91.3 (18th NBA) |
Last time
Kevin Garnett had 22 points and 7 rebounds and Paul Pierce surpassed Larry Bird to become the 2nd all time leading scorer in team history… all in a 10 point win at home.
This time
Get it to: Kevin Garnett
KG is playing so well right now, and he's hitting guys out of the post for some easy baskets. I'm very happy to continue running the offense through KG in the post, especially because he's one of the best out there at finding Avery Bradley on cuts. There's no reason he can't continue with his big assist nights.
Gotta stop: Corey Maggette
The main thing about Maggette is his ability to draw fouls. The Celtics just need to guard him well enough so he doesn't get to the line. The C's don't have enough bodies to make up for the loss of Paul Pierce to foul trouble.
The Wild Card: Avery Bradley
Can he do it again as he gets another start? There will be no Ray Allen or Mickael Pietrus again… and the Bobcats are as bad a team as it gets, which means they'll lose him on D. But they have better shot blockers. Let's see if he can get those shots off against a bigger front line.
How we see it goin' down
All things considered, I think the C's are going into this game with some decent rest. The last time these two teams faced off Paul Pierce was admittedly nervous about passing Larry Bird. There's no such milestone to keep Pierce preoccupied.
Charlotte is terrible and they're giving up a lot of points lately. I see this playing out a lot like the Wizards game. Hot start, let off the gas, finish them off late. A share of the division lead is at stake.
Celtics win 105-89
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