Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview, injury report, and info - December 22, 2021
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The Boston Celtics will try to get back to .500 tonight as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston lost a tough one to the Philadelphia 76ers their last time out. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are riding a six-game win streak - the longest in the NBA. They’ve been playing great basketball this season, despite losing one of their best players (Collin Sexton) for the year.
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview, injury report, and info
How to Watch
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Channel(s): NBC Sports Boston
Boston Celtics Breakdown
Boston’s big man rotation was severely depleted last game, as Enes Freedom and Bruno Fernando were the only available centers on the roster. Unfortunately, there’s no worse time for that to happen than when going up against Joel Embiid. He absolutely cooked the C’s, dropping 41 points and sealing the game for Philadelphia in the fourth quarter. It was a heartbreaker for Celtics fans, as Boston was in control of the game for a large portion of it.
After the game, Jaylen Brown spoke about his “unwavering” belief in this squad. A lot of fans have begun to turn their backs on the team, and rightfully so. Boston fans are some of the most passionate in the world, and to see a team with a ton of potential consistently hover around .500 is extremely frustrating. However, Brown emphasized the fact that he will always believe in this team, and nothing will ever change that. That’s the sort of statement Celtics fans should want to hear from one of the team’s leaders.
As far as on-the-court business, Payton Pritchard is slowly making a case for himself as the primary backup point guard. Dennis Schroder struggled last game, as he is still working his way back from a non-COVID-related illness, and Pritchard took full advantage. He’s been getting a ton of opportunities as the C’s struggle with COVID-related absences. Pritchard’s shot seems to be back, and that’s a development the Celtics could desperately use right now.
Cleveland Cavaliers Breakdown
Cleveland has burst onto the scene this year in a huge way. After being one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, they are currently fighting for home-court advantage in the playoffs this year. A big part of that is the development of point guard Darius Garland and center Jarrett Allen, paired with the prowess of rookie Evan Mobley.
Garland and Allen are slowly becoming one of the more exciting duos in the NBA. Garland’s been great all year, but ever since Sexton went down, he’s turned things up a notch. Since Sexton’s been out, Garland has been averaging 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while shooting 47.6 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep. At the same time, Allen has averaged 18.0 points and 10.2 rebounds while shooting 71.1 percent from the field over that stretch.
Mobley has been great, too, but both he and Allen have entered the league’s health and safety protocols, along with a number of other Cavaliers players. Cleveland, like many other teams in the league, has been hit hard by COVID cases. This has forced them to sign a few replacement players, including former Boston Celtic Luke Kornet.
Injury Report
Boston’s injury report is solely made up of players who have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols - Al Horford, Josh Richardson, Grant Williams, Jabari Parker, Juancho Hernangomez, Sam Hauser, and Brodric Thomas.
Somehow, the Cavaliers have an even longer injury report than that. They have eight different players who have entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols - Allen, Mobley, Isaac Okoro, Lamar Stevens, RJ Nembhard Jr, Dylan Windler, Denzel Valentine, and Ed Davis. Past that, only Sexton is listed, as he remains out for the season with a left meniscus tear.
Keys to the Game
With both teams dealing with so many COVID-related issues, this is a weird game to predict. So instead of getting too complicated, let’s keep things simple. Offensively, Boston needs to play through their two stars. As obvious as that sounds, running through Jayson Tatum and Brown is key. When the offense gets stagnant, the ball can end up in random players’ hands and they end up forcing up bad shots. By letting everything flow through Tatum and Brown, at least the Celtics know that their best players have the ball.
Next up, the Celtics have to contain Garland. With the majority of Cleveland’s roster sidelined, Garland is undoubtedly going to lead the charge. The last time these two teams faced off, he caught fire from deep. If there’s one thing Boston should learn, it’s that this guy can make shots. The C’s have to adjust and try to focus on Garland more this time around. If they can slow him down and make him less effective whilst running the offense, that’s a huge win for them.
Finally, Boston needs to play a full four quarters of basketball. This may seem like a tall task considering they haven’t really done that yet this season, but it really is crucial. If the C’s have any chance at turning things around this year, they have to play consistently through all four quarters. They collapsed against the 76ers a couple of nights ago, and they even had a major collapse the last time they played Cleveland. Something has to change in that regard.
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!
