Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets preview, injury report, and info - November 24, 2021
TheBostonGlobe.com
The Boston Celtics have won three games in a row, including a blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers. Tonight, they will look to extend that streak to five as they take on the Brooklyn Nets - the team that knocked them out in the first round of the playoffs last year. Brooklyn is currently the top team in the Eastern Conference.
Boston Celtics vs. Brooklyn Nets game preview, injury report, and info
How to Watch
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Channel(s): ESPN, NBA League Pass
Team Breakdowns
The C’s have been led by Jayson Tatum lately, as he has dropped 30 points in the past four games. His production has been phenomenal, and the best part is that he’s shooting efficiently, too. Early on in the season, he was scoring well, but his shooting splits were awful. Now, he’s starting to turn things around on that side of things. After such a rough start to the season, seeing this sort of production from the team’s superstar player is a welcomed change.
As for the rest of the squad, injuries have affected the ability to find a groove. This was very evident last game vs. the Houston Rockets. Jaylen Brown and Robert Williams finally returned from injury. While Williams picked up right where he left off, it took Brown a couple of quarters to find his rhythm. This also meant that Dennis Schroder, who had been starting in Brown’s absence, returned to his normal bench role. While he still managed to put up an efficient 18 points, he had no assists against Houston. It will take coach Ime Udoka a few games to figure everything out in terms of rotations again.
The Nets have been rolling after a rocky start to the season. Despite the absence of Kyrie Irving due to drama that most Celtics fans are well aware of, they are still sitting atop the Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant looks like an MVP candidate right now. His shooting splits are ridiculous, and he’s scoring the ball as well as ever. Meanwhile, James Harden is starting to turn things around, and he’s getting to the line more often. A player as talented as he is was bound to figure things out eventually. Add onto that their solid rotational pieces, and this is going to be a very tough game for the C’s.
Injury Report
Both Josh Richardson (non-COVID-related illness), Williams (non-COVID-related illness), and Brown (injury management) are questionable for tonight’s game. However, Grant Williams mentioned that the team would be down a couple of guys tonight in his interview today. While he probably didn’t mean to leak that information, it likely means that both Richardson and Brown will be out.
For the Nets, Bruce Brown (hamstring), Nic Claxton (illness), and Joe Harris (ankle) will all miss tonight’s contest. That’s on top of Irving, who still has yet to play for the Nets this season.
Keys to the Game
First and foremost, the Celtics need to focus on getting Tatum in a rhythm. If Brown ends up not playing, which seems likely, then making sure Tatum gets going is essential. With how he’s been scoring lately, this shouldn’t be too difficult, but the team should try to get him a couple of easy looks early on. Watching him settle for contest turnaround jumpers and stepback threes is no fun. He needs to find shots within the offense instead of trying to make something work on his own. That’s how he’ll get into a rhythm.
Allowing Schroder to run the offense a bit more is the second key. Again, if Brown doesn’t play, that means Schroder will probably return to the starting lineup. If that is the case, then he should end up being a bigger part of the offensive game plan. He’s been so good at making plays for others this season, it was a shame to see him finish with zero assists against Houston. Hopefully, Udoka lets the game run through him a bit more tonight.
Finally, the third key is all about slowing down not fouling James Harden. Stopping Kevin Durant is impossible, so there’s no point in even discussing that. The real key for Boston is to avoid fouling Harden. He’s been getting to the line more and more recently, and he’s automatic once he gets to the stripe. The C’s just have to play good defense and try their best not to foul him at all.
Pregame Show
Make sure to tune in to our live pregame show, “The Banner Town Build Up.” We are live 30 minutes before every Celtics game at @GuyBostonSports on YouTube and Facebook. See you there at 7:00 p.m. (EST) tonight!
