Gameday Preview: Celtics Take on Sexton and the Surging Cavs
Creator: Michael Dwyer | Credit: AP | Copyright: Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Boston returns home tonight to take on the red hot Cavaliers. The Celtics are in the midst of a three-game losing streak after getting blown out by the Knicks and then dropping two games to Sixers in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, the Cavs have won three straight, with their last two wins being back to back victories over Brooklyn, the league’s newest super team.
Boston will be without Jayson Tatum for the fifth straight game due to health and safety protocols. Romeo Langford also remains out, while Aaron Nesmith is now listed as doubtful for the game. Joining them on the injury report, however, is rookie point guard Payton Pritchard, who suffered a sprained right MCL in the Celtics’ last game against the 76ers. Luckily it is estimated that he’ll be back on the court in around two weeks’ time. The Cavaliers are at near full strength, with the only players listed on their injury report being Kevin Love and Matthew Dellavedova.
Jaylen Brown is coming off of a spectacular performance where he tied his career-high in points, dropping 42 in the second loss to Philly. Kemba Walker also played great in both games at the Wells Fargo Center, as he still tries to get back up to speed with on-court activities. Whether or not he will remain on a minutes restriction against Cleveland is yet to be determined, but he’s looked a lot like his old self over the past two games. The Cavs are a team dominated by big men, so moving the ball around a lot and forcing them to rotate is going to be super important. On top of that, limiting turnovers and taking care of the ball is something Boston has struggled with all season, so that should also be a top priority.
As mentioned, the Cavs are on a hot streak as of late, and a large part of that is due to the emergence of Collin Sexton as an All-Star caliber player. Sexton was taken by the Cavs with the pick that the Celtics owned and eventually traded in the Kyrie Irving trade. He’s averaging 26.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists a night, highlighted by a 42 point explosion where he willed the Cavs to a win in overtime against the Nets. Jarrett Allen and Andre Drummond lead the solid big man lineup mentioned earlier for the Cavs, with Allen just recently joining the team byways of the James Harden mega-deal. Drummond has been playing great this year, but now the team has two guys they are more than comfortable rolling out in crunch time.
The Celtics have struggled on defense this season, which is odd since that’s usually where they hang their hat as a team. The Cavs are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league, but with the recent breakout of Sexton, there’s no telling what to expect. Despite their lack of scoring this season, however, the Cavalier give up the fourth-fewest points in the NBA. After losing three straight there’s no doubt that the C’s are going to be hungry for a win, but the Cavs are not a team to take lightly with the streak they’re on. Boston has to take care of the ball, key-in on Sexton, and, most importantly, keep the offense flowing at the end of the game. Both games in Philadelphia were lost in large part due to the Celtics’ lack of offense to close the game. That problem has to be fixed.
Make sure to tune in to our live pregame show, the Banner Town Build Up, at 6:30 PM EST on Twitter @GuyBostonSports! The Celtics tip-off against the Cavs at 7:00 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
