Celtics (47-26) vs Thunder (45-28)
Game time: 7:30m, TD Garden. TV – CSN. Radio –
WEEI-AM (850).
Team Leaders
Scoring
Bos: Pierce – 18.2 Thunder: Kevin Durant –
29.6
Rebounding
Bos: Perkins – 7.6
Thunder: Durant – 7.6
Assists
Bos: Rondo – 9.8 Thunder: Russell Westbrook – 8.0
UPDATE: Paul Pierce and Kendrick Perkins will start tonight for the Celtics.
Who'll go off: Kevin Garnett. Get him the ball in the paint. The Cs need to take advantage of the Thunder's lack of size and physicality in the front court.
Who needs to be stopped: Kevin Durant. The loss of Paul Pierce is going to hurt most on defense. The goal for Paul Pierce, Marquis Daniels and Michael Finley – keep Durant under 40.
The C's will lose if… OKC's defensive number may surprise you. The Thunder rank slightly ahead of the Cs in opposing FG% (44.2 – 44.7) and slightly behind in opposing 3FG% (33.7 – 33.5). The Celtics need to be aggressive offensively.
Miscellany: The Celtics, who defeated the Thunder 105-87 on the road Dec. 4, have
won
six straight meetings in this series. The Thunder (21-15 on the road) are coming off a 111-93 win over Philly Tuesday night. They currently occupy the 6th seed in the Western conference.
Prediction: Thunder 101 – Celtics 99
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