The Celtics look for their 5th straight win as they host the Orlando Magic.
The Celtics resume play after a 3 game hiatus due to Health and Safety Protocols that left the Celtics without enough healthy players to meet the league minimum. The Magic come to town after having Wednesday’s game against the Celtics cancelled. The Celtics last played on January 8 when they beat the Wizards 116-107. The Magic last played on Monday when they lost to the Bucks 121-99. The Celtics have won 4 straight while the Magic have lost their last 3 games.
Orlando will face the Nets in Brooklyn on Saturday. The Celtics don’t play again until Sunday when they host the Knicks. The Celtics swept the Nets last season including a 109-98 in January, a 116-100 win in February and a 122-119 win in the bubble. Wednesday’s game between these two teams was postponed and I imagine that they will also play at least one more in the second half of the season.
The Celtics should have at least 8 players available and possibly as many as 12. Tristan Thompson and Grant Williams are scheduled to return if the testing goes well. Jaylen Brown, Semi Ojeleye, Daniel Theis and Javonte Green are all listed as questionable. Carsen Edwards, Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams, Romeo Langford and Kemba Walker are all listed as out.
For the Magic, Mo Bamba (covid), Michael Carter-Williams (foot), Evan Fournier (back), Al-Farouq Aminu (knee), Chuma Okeke (knee), Markelle Fultz (knee), and Jonathan Isaac (knee) are all listed as out. I’m not sure about the starters as it will depend on if the questionable players can play or not. I took my best guess for if the players who are questionable are all out.
Probable Celtics Starters
PG: Payton Pritchard
SG: Jeff Teague
SF: Marcus Smart
PF: Grant Williams
C: Tristan Thompson
Celtics Reserves
Tremont Waters
Aaron Nesmith
Tacko Fall
Injuries
Kemba Walker (knee) out
Romeo Langford (wrist) out
Robert Williams (covid) out
Jayson Tatum (covid) out
Carsen Edwards (covid) out
Semi Ojeleye (covid) questionable
Jaylen Brown (covid) questionable
Javonte Green (covid) questionable
Daniel Theis (covid) questionable
Head Coach
Brad Stevens
Probable Magic Starters
PG: Cole Anthony
SG: Dwayne Bacon
SF: James Ennis III
PF: Aaron Gordon
C: Nikola Vucevic
Magic Reserves
Khem Birch
Jordan Bone
Gary Clark
Karim Mane
Terrence Ross
Injuries
Al-Farouq Aminu (knee) out
Chuma Okeke (knee) out
Markelle Fultz (knee) out
Jonathan Isaacs (knee) out
Michael Carter-Williams (foot) out
Evan Fournier (back) out
Mo Bamba (covid) out
Head Coach
Steve Clifford
Key Matchups
Tristan Thompson vs Nikola Vucevic
Vucevic is leading the Magic with 19.6 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals. Hopefully Tristan Thompson returns for this one and he will need to stay with Vucevic in the paint as well as on the perimeter as he is shooting 34% from beyond the arc.
Grant Williams vs Aaron Gordon
Aaron Gordon is capable of putting up a lot of points if he isn’t defended well. He is averaging 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He is a threat to drive to the basket more than hitting a 3 pointer. Grant will need to stay in front of him and not allow him to get to the rim.
Honorable Mention
Payton Pritchard vs Cole Anthony
Pritchard is the Celtics best point guard expected to be available for this game. In spite of that, he may or may not get the call to start. We may see another Tremont Waters start or if Jaylen can play we may see Marcus Smart back in this spot. Anthony is averaging 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists.
Keys to the Game
Defense
– Defense is always a key to winning, whether in the preseason, regular season or playoffs. The Magic are averaging 106.1 points per game, which is 27th in the league. Boston is averaging 113.0 points per game (12th). Orlando ranks 16th with a defensive rating of 109.7. The Celtics are 19th in the league with a defensive rating of 110.4. The Celtics need to get back to making defense a priority if they want to win this game and be contenders this season.
Rebound – The Celtics have to crash the boards in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to prevent the Magic from getting second chance points and fast breaks. The Magic are averaging 46.8 rebounds per game. The Celtics are averaging 45.52 rebounds per game. The Magic are 13th in the league with 13.4 2nd chance points per game. Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics need to give extra effort to beat the Magic to the boards.
Play hard for 48 Minutes – The Celtics can’t come out and play sluggishly and get behind as they have in some games. The Celtics have to come out strong and play hard right from the beginning. They also have to continue to play hard right up until the final buzzer and not allow the Magic to go on a run in the 3rd or 4th quarter. No let up from start to finish.
Next Man Up – The Celtics will get at least 2 players back in the lineup and maybe more. But they will still be missing several key players. Everyone must play their hardest to fill in the gaps and make up for the players who are still out. Each player has to play his role and there is no room for slacking off.
X-Factors
Who is Playing? – Both teams have key players out and both teams have a possibility of getting some of those players back. It goes without saying that the Celtics would be much tougher if Jaylen Brown, Semi Ojeleye, Daniel Theis and Javonte Green can all play. It will be much harder to win if they have just 8 players available.
Rest vs Rust – The Celtics have been off for a full week and unable to practice for much of that time. They will be well rested, but will they come out rusty? The Magic on the other hand, played on Monday and has been off 4 days but have been able to practice during that time. Will the layoff help or hurt the Celtics?
Officiating – Officiating always has the potential to be an x-factor. Whether the officials call the game tight or let them play without a lot of calls, the Celtics need to adjust to the way the game is being called and not lose focus if bad calls go against them.