Tip: 7:30PM Court: TD Garden Watch it: CSN Hear it: WEEI
Referees: Ken Mauer, Brent Barnaky and Sean Wright
Get your tickets here: Boston Celtics Tickets
The Matchup
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| Record: 13-12 | Record: 13-11 |
| At Home: 9-4 | On Road: 6-6 |
| Streak: Won 1 | Streak: Lost 1 |
| Leaders | Leaders |
| Buckets: Pierce (20.4 ppg) | Buckets: Monta Ellis (18.4 ppg) |
| Boards: Garnett (7.0 rpg) | Boards: Larry Sanders (7.7 rpg) |
| Dimes: Rondo (12.3 apg) | Dimes: Brandon Jennings (5.9 apg) |
| For the Stat Geeks: | For the Stat Geeks: |
| Offensive Rating: 103.8 (17th NBA) | Offensive Rating: 101.6 (27th NBA) |
| Defensive Rating: 104.3 (12th NBA) | Defensive Rating: 103.0 (9th NBA) |
| Pace: 91.8 (16th NBA) | Pace: 93.5 (7th NBA) |
Last time
The Bucks lead the season series 2-1. The last meeting was a 91-88 Bucks win in Milwaukee on Dec. 1. You may remember the Celtics raced out to a 17-0 lead.
This time
Get it to: Paul Pierce
Despite averaging 18.3 vs Milwaukee this season, Pierce is shooting a disgusting 38%. The Bucks can throw a couple of decent defenders his way – Luc Mbah a Moute and Marquis Daniels (don’t laugh, he ranks in the 94th percentile at 0.687 points per play). I don’t care. While I don’t expect the Truth to shoot 81% like he did against Cleveland, I want the ball in his hands. A lot.
Gotta stop: Larry Sanders
It seems silly to focus on a role player, but Larry Sanders is KILLING the Celtics this season. He dropped 18 points, 16 rebounds and 5 blocks in the last game and is averaging a double-double vs Boston this season. They have to find a way to keep him off the offensive glass.
The Wild Card: Doc Rivers
Which button will Doc push tonight? The Jason Collins experiment worked (kinda, sorta) vs Cleveland, but will JC be back in the starting line-up? I don’t see him matching up well with the athletic Larry Sanders. Does Doc go small or will he force the Bucks to contend with a big line-up?
How we see it goin’ down
The Bucks are a mediocre offensive team that thrives in transition… oh screw it. It’s impossible to predict how the Celtics will perform.
I’m turning to the only historically reliable source I know – The Magic 8 Ball.
I asked: Will the Celtics beat the Bucks?
Magic 8 Ball’s response: All signs point to yes…
Celtics 98
Bucks 82
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