Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors Game #27 12/10/22

The Celtics continue their road trip with a rematch from last year NBA Finals. The Celtics take on Golden State Warriors for the first time since losing the final in 6 games. This is the first of two games between these two teams. They will play for the second and final time in Boston on January 9. They were 1-1 last season with every team winning on the road.

The Celtics are 208-137 overall against the Warriors and 94-97 when playing at Golden State. The Celtics have won the last 4 meetings at Golden State. This is the last game for the Warriors before leaving for a road trip of 6 games in 9 days. The Celtics are playing Game 4 of a 6-game, 10-day road trip that includes 2 straight sets. They are 3-0 so far on the trip.

The Celtics are 1st in the East, 2 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee and 4.5 games ahead of 3rd place Cleveland. They are 10-3 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 6-0 against Western Conference teams. They have won their last 3 matches. The Warriors are 10th in the West, 4 games behind 1st place New Orleans and 5.5 games ahead of last place Houston. They are 11-2 at home and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 4-5 against Eastern Conference teams and have lost their last 2 games.

Celtics fans were very excited for a short time on Friday when Robert Williams hinted he might be back for that game against the Warriors. However, he was later ruled out for that match when the NEBHInjuryReport came out. Al Horford, who remains under health and safety protocols, is also ruled out for this game. Danilo Gallinari also remains out as he recovers from a torn ACL.

For the Warriors, Andrew Wiggins suffered a groin injury Saturday against the Rockets and missed games Monday and Wednesday. He was ruled out for this match. Andre Iguodala is yet to make his season debut due to a hip injury. Guess the Celtics will start Blake Griffin at center and Grant Williams at the tip once again. I also assume that Jordan Poole will start as a small forward again in place of Andrew Wiggins.

Likely Celtics starters

PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
CP: Grant Williams
C: Blake Griffin

Celtics Reserves
Malcolm Brogdon
Grant Williams
Sam Hauser
Payton Prichard
Luc Kornet
Blake Griffin
justin jackson
Noah Vonleh

2 way players
JD Davison
Mfiondu Kabengele

Out/Injuries
Danilo Gallinari (ACL) absent
Robert Williams III (knee) out
Al Horford (covid) out

Head coach (interim)
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Novice Warriors

PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Jordan Poole
PF: Draymond Green
C: Kevon Looney

Warrior Reserves
Green Ja Mychal
Patrick Baldwin, Jr.
Donte Di Vincenzo
Jonathan Kuminga
Moses Moody
ryan rollin
James Wiseman

2 way players
You Jerome
Antoine Lamb

Out/Injuries
Andre Iguodala (hip) out
Andrew Wiggins (groin) out

The head coach
Steve Kerr

Key matches

Marcus Smart vs. Stephen Curry
Curry is averaging 30.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He shoots 49.9% from the field and 43.2% from outside the arc. The Celtics need to find a way to slow him down and keep him from wanting the Warriors to win. Marcus Smart has done a good job defending Curry, but with the Celtics’ defense change, everyone needs to step up and defend better.

Jaylen Brown vs. Klay Thompson
Thompson struggled as he returned from two terrible injuries, but he’s been playing well in recent games. He is averaging 18.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. He shoots 39.6% from the field and 33.2% from outside the arc. He is also a good defender and will try to make it difficult for Jaylen Brown. The Celtics will need a big game from Brown at both ends of the field if they want to win this game.

Honorable mention
Jayson Tatum vs. Jordan Poole
Poole has become a key player for the Warriors and even more so now that Andrew Wiggins is out. He is averaging 17.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. He shoots 43.6% from the field and 33.2% from outside the arc. Jayson Tatum will have to play well both on offense and defense for the Celtics to win this game.

The keys to the game
Defense – Defense is always the key to victory. The Celtics have played much better defensively in recent games. They worked their way up to No. 9 with a defensive rating of 110.8. Hopefully they continue that trend in this game as the Warriors are a very good shooting team and the Celtics will need to strengthen their defense if they want to beat the Warriors at home. The Warriors are 4th in the league, averaging 117.4 points per game. The Warriors are 21st with a defensive rating of 112.7 but as the Celtics have picked up their defense in recent games and since Nov. 7, the Warriors have the 6th best defensive rating. Since both teams have high scores and good offensive teams, it is likely that the team that defends better will be the winner.

Bounce – Rebound is always the key to victory because you need the ball to score and a good way to get it is to bounce the ball. It takes effort to grab rebounds and the Celtics need to go the extra mile to smash the boards and beat the Warriors on rebounds, especially on the offensive end. If they put extra effort on the boards, it usually carries over to the rest of their game. More rebounds gives them extra possessions and limits possessions for the Warriors. The Celtics are 11-1 when rebounding from opponents. They have to work harder for every rebound than the Warriors.

Focus on the good game – The Celtics need to stay focused and play the right way. They have to move the ball and move without the ball to get the best shots. They cannot switch into the hero ball during any period of the game. The Celtics are usually money beyond the arc, but if the threes don’t fall for any player, they need to get in the paint or find players who hit their 3s. Above all, they need to stay focused for the 4 quarters and not letting go from the opening tip to the final buzzer.

Be aggressive – The Celtics have to be the most aggressive team from start to finish. They need to be aggressive to go to the hoop, to smash the boards, to fight for loose balls, and to run across the court. They also need to be more aggressive in defense. They have to be the team that wants the most. When the Celtics lost this season, it was because they allowed their opponents to be more aggressive and outplay them. Effort and being more aggressive will probably be the difference in this game.

game bench – Play off the bench was a big difference between these two teams in the playoffs. The Celtics just didn’t get enough of their reserves. But the Celtics have built a stronger bench, although it will be weaker due to the absence of Horford and Timelord. The Warriors lost key bench players while the Celtics added some. The Warriors have a bench net rating of -5.2, which ranks them 29th in the league. The Celtics have a Net Bench Rating of 2.8, which is 4th. The Celtics need their reserve players to continue to play well in this game.

X-factors
On the road – The Celtics are on the road again for the 4th game in a row. The Celtics need to get rid of the distractions of travel, being away from home and playing on the road in front of a hostile crowd, not to mention a really good Warriors team playing hard at home (11-2 this season). The Celtics have played very well on the road so far with a 10-3 record and 3 game winning streak on the road on this trip. They should continue to focus on playing well and not on the distractions of playing on the road.

framing – Steve Kerr is experienced and has won championships with this Warriors team. He has been the head coach of the Warriors since 2014 and has won 4 championships with them. He was Coach of the Year in 2016 and is one of the NBA’s Top 15 Coaches. Steve Kerr also coached Ime Udoka in the 2022 Finals. Joe Mazzulla is a rookie head coach who was given 2 weeks notice to coach the Celtics this season. He will have his work cut out for him in this game.

Officer – Refereeing always has the potential to be a factor in every game. Each officiating team calls the game differently. Some call it tight and others let them play. Some favor the home team while others call it fair. Regardless of how the game is called, the Celtics need to adapt to it and not allow the referee to focus on the game. Complaining about the calls rarely changes anything other than distracting them from their focus on the game. game and sometimes irritates the officials. Let’s hope the officials let them play and keep Draymond Green’s antics from getting out of hand in this game.