Tip: 7:30pm Court: TD Garden Hear it: 98.5 Sports Hub
Referees: Joe Crawford, David Jones, Leon Wood
Spread: OKC -5.5
The Matchup
 |
 |
| Record: 3-3 | Record: 2-6 |
| On road: 1-2 | At home: 2-1 |
| Streak: Won 2 | Streak: Lost 1 |
| Leaders | Leaders |
| Buckets: Green (19.7 ppg) | Buckets: Reggie Jackson (21.8 ppg) |
| Boards: Sullinger (8.3 rpg) | Boards: Serge Ibaka (7.8 rpg) |
| Dimes: Rondo (11.2 apg) | Dimes: Reggie Jackson (7.4 apg) |
| For the Stat Geeks: | For the Stat Geeks: |
| Offensive Rating: 107.1 (7th NBA) | Offensive Rating: 94.5 (29th NBA) |
| Defensive Rating: 107.0 (25th NBA) | Defensive Rating: 104.2 (20th NBA) |
| Pace: 99.2 (4th NBA) | Pace: 94.3 (23rd NBA) |
Last time
Last season the Thunder swept the Celtics in the season series by an average of 20.5 points. In game 1 Reggie Jackson led the way with 27 points, and in Game 2 Serge Ibaka led the way with 21 points. Neither Kevin Durant or Russel Westbrook played in the second matchup.
This time
Get it to: Rajon Rondo
Against this Thunder zone were going to need a vintage Rondo game to keep our offense up to pace. The length and athleticism of the Thunder players will make it difficult for guys to create for themselves (guys like Jeff Green and Avery Bradley, for example). If Rondo can push the pace, get into the lane, and thread the needle through this lengthy OKC team the Celtics will be able to force the Thunder into man defense.
Gotta stop: Reggie Jackson
Reggie Jackson is their leading scorer and distributor so stopping him will go a long way in containing this Thunder offense. Jackson is a very ball-dominant guard and is looking for his shot whenever he has the ball. If he comes out flat it could stagnate the rest of the offense. Look for Boston to be aggressive when defending him and force him into trying to make to many plays. The Bradley-Jackson matchup will be one to keep your eyes on.
The Wild Card: Kelly Olynyk
Olynyk struggled heavily in our Western Conference trip especially against Terrence Jones and the Houston Rockets. Tonight his going toe to toe with Serge Ibaka one of the most athletic Power Forwards in the game. His quick enough to keep Olynyk in front of him, and strong enough to hold his own in the post. If Olynyk can stay aggressive, pick his spots in the zone, and drain some shots he could get himself and his confidence up early which he’ll need.
How we see it goin’ down
The Celtics are going to play fast, aggressive, and score a ton of points. However, the Thunders huge frontcourt and our mediocre defense will keep them in the game with us the whole way. In the end I expect the Celtics to pull this off because they just have more options to turn to down the stretch than the Thunder do, and that’s even with Marcus Thornton missing the game with a sprained ankle.
Celtics 105
Thunder 96
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