Preview: Celtics Look to Make Up Ground in the East, Get Rematch vs Heat
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Boston gave up 79 first-half points to Miami this past Tuesday. Tonight, they look for revenge against the Heat in a game that is a must-win if the Celtics wish to avoid the play-in tournament.
HOW TO WATCH
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Time: 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Channel(s): TNT
PLAYER STATS
Jimmy Butler led the Heat in points (26), rebounds (8), and assists (11) on Sunday. Miami also had a very successful three-point attack, led by Duncan Robinson (61-10 3PT). They had five players make two or more three-pointers and six players score in double figures. Miami shot 57.3% from the field and 45.7% from deep.
Boston had a relatively well-rounded offensive attack on Sunday, with five players scoring 15 or more points. Evan Fournier led that group with 30 points, his season-high in a Celtics uniform. Jayson Tatum also had a solid bounce-back outing, dropping 29 points on fairly efficient shooting. Kemba Walker (18), Marcus Smart (16), and Aaron Nesmith (16) rounded out the Celtics’ double-digit scorers.
RECENT GAMES
Including the win vs Boston on Sunday, the Heat have now won five of their last six games. They currently sit at 37-31 on the season, good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.
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The Celtics are two games behind Miami in the standings. The winner of tonight’s game wins the season series between the two teams and owns the tiebreaker going into the playoffs. Boston is 35-33 this year and is seventh in the Eastern Conference, the top seed in the play-in tournament.
INJURIES
Victor Oladipo is the only player listed on Miami’s injury report as he continues to deal with a knee issue.
It was announced yesterday that Celtics All-Star Jaylen Brown would miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season. He will undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left wrist. Robert Williams will also be out for tonight’s game with turf toe.
KEYS TO THE GAME
Allowing 79 points in a single half is unacceptable. Boston’s defense has been dreadful in recent weeks, ranking 25th in terms of defensive rating (119.6) over their last five games. They have allowed 123.8 points a game over that span as well, which is also 25th in the league. Boston has a top ten offense in the last five games (ORTG 119.3), so keying in on defense has to be the priority.
Last game, 27 of Miami’s 35 three-point attempts came when the defender was at least four feet away. On five of Duncan Robinson’s 10 three-point attempts, the defender was 4-6 feet away, and he made four of them. The NBA classifies shots as “open” when a defender is 4-6 feet away, and “very open” when a defender is 6+ feet away. Other players to get multiple “open” three-pointers include Tyler Herro (2-2), Kendrick Nunn (2-3), and Goran Dragic (1-2). The Celtics have to tighten up on the perimeter or they are in for a long night once again.
Lastly, an efficient game from behind the arc is crucial to the success of the Celtics. With Brown and Williams sidelined, Boston will have to move the ball and find open shots. When they shoot less than 37% from deep this season they are 7-22. When that magic number is 37% or higher, they are 28-11. The C’s need to prioritize creating good looks from deep instead of settling for bail-out threes at the end of the shot clock.
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 @GuyBostonSports on YouTube and Facebook. See you there at 7:00 p.m. (EST) tonight!
