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Milwaukee Bucks (3-13) at Boston Celtics (7-12)
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #20 – Home Game #9
TV: CSN-NE, FSN-WI, NBA-LP 754(DTV)/754(Xfinity)
Radio: WBZ, WTMJ
TD Garden
Referees: David Jones, JT Orr, Gary Zielinski
Game Thread l Chat
CLNS Post Game ShowCall into the Studio: 347-215-7771 | Listen Live
For the second time in less than a week, the Celtics face the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have just 3 wins on the season, and two of those are against the Celtics. The Celtics are hoping that the 3rd time is the charm and that they will finally be able to beat the Bucks.
In both losses to the Bucks, the Celtics gave up big leads. In the first game, it was a 22 point lead and in the second game, it was an 11 point lead. Milwaukee got out in transition and scored easy baskets against the Celtics on Saturday, holding a 16-4 edge in fast break points.
The Bucks are 1-7 on the road, with the one road win in the Celtics home opener. The Celtics are 3-5 at home. These two teams will meet once more on February 10.
Be sure to check out the chat room during the game and don't forget to tune into the CLNS Post Game Show.
Your broadcast crew is Ty Ray and Daniel Baker. Nick Gelso will also be stationed in the chatroom at CelticsBlog and manning the CLNS Radio social media outlets. As always, they will be taking your calls throughout the entire broadcast.
Both teams have had off since they played each other in Milwaukee on Saturday so fatigue shouldn't be a problem for either team. The Bucks have injury concerns with 4 players out while the Celtics should be getting Courtney Lee back in the lineup.
Probable Starting Lineup
Jordan Crawford...Avery Bradley...Jeff Green...Brandon Bass...Jared Sullinger
Celtics Reserves
MarShon Brooks
Kris Humphries
Vitor Faverani
Phil Pressey
Gerald Wallace
Keith Bogans
Injuries
Rajon Rondo (ACL)out
Kelly Olynyk (ankle) day to day
Courtney Lee (knee)probable
Probable Starting Lineup
Brandon Knight...OJ Mayo...Khris Middleton...Ekpe Udoh...John Henson
Bucks Reserves
Nate Wolters
Gary Neal
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Miroslav Raduljica
Luke Ridnour
Zaza Pachulia
Injuries
Carlos Delfino (foot) out
Larry Sanders (thumb) out
Ersan Ilysova (hamstring) questionable
Caron Butler (knee) out
Key Matchups
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Jared Sullinger vs John Henson
Henson played very well in Saturday's game with 13 points (6-13), 13 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Sully also played well with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Although, only 6 of his points came in the second half after the Bucks started to double team him. Sully will need to adjust to the double teams that are sure to be hitting him again in this game.
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Mayo is the Bucks leading scorer with 15.3 points per game. He is capable of having a big game on any given night. Avery's defense will be needed to keep Mayo off balance the entire game.
Player to Watch
Giannis Antetokounmpo
In Saturday's game, Antetokounmpo gave the Bucks a boost off the bench with 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in 27 minutes. The Celtics need to be ready for his energy off the bench. Another thing to watch is Tommy trying to pronounce his name.
Keys to the Game
Defense- The Celtics must defend better, especially on 3 pointers. The Bucks shot 47% from beyond the arc on Saturday, and the Celtics must do better defending the perimeter.
Rebound - The Celtics were out-rebounded 49-41 in Saturday's game and they have to make a concerted effort to crash the boards as a team.
Play 48 Minutes- In both losses to the Bucks the Celtics had one very bad quarter. In the first game, the Bucks rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Celtics 34-15 in the fourth quarter. In Saturday's loss, the Celtics once again had a bad quarter, this time though it was the second quarter where the Bucks outscored the Celtics 28-14. The Celtics also allowed them to shoot 52% in the quarter so, not only did their offense slip but also their defense. The Celtics must play hard on both ends for 4 quarters and not just 3.
Run - The Celtics need to run and beat the Bucks at their own game. The Bucks beat them in fast break points 17-11. The Celtics must run and try to get easy points before the Bucks defense, which is 9th in the league, can get set up.
X-Factors
Coaching and Pride
The Celtics are home and have had 2 days off, including a practice to get ready for this game. Can Brad Stevens out coach Larry Drew and prepare his team for whatever Drew can send at the Celtics? Also, after losing 2 games to a team that has just 3 wins, the Celtics have got to have some pride and go all out to get this win.
Official Report
David Jones
David Jones has officiated 1,435 regular season games and 59 playoff games throughout his 24 seasons as an NBA official. In addition, Jones officiated both the men’s and women’s 2000 Olympic Bronze Medal Games. Jones has eight years of collegiate officiating experience in the Southeastern, Trans-American Athletic, Metro and Sunshine State Conferences. Jones enjoys working with the community by volunteering with the Boys & Girls Club of Alachua County in Florida and with the American Heart Association.
He was one of the refs who helped to train Tim Donaghy and was very outspoken in condemning Donaghy's actions and felt that Donaghy's actions took the "ethics and integrity of the profession and threw them out the window." I guess he hasn't looked very hard at the current crop of refs that lack ethics and integrity. The Celtics are 1-1 this season, with the loss being to the Grizzlies where Memphis took 22 free throws to 18 for the Celtics and the win over the Hawks where the Celtics took 31 free throws to 12 for Atlanta. Both games were decently officiated. They are 2-8 in their last 10 games with Jones while the Bucks are 5-5 in their last 10 with Jones. Although the opponents took more free throws than the Celtics in all 5 games last season, none were particularly terribly officiated. Jones isn't particularly influenced by the home crowd and has a home W/L record this season of 5-8.
JT Orr
J.T. Orr enters his third NBA season having officiated 112 regular season games. Orr’s experience includes five seasons and 177 games officiated in the NBA D-League. He also has four seasons of NBA preseason experience and worked in NBA summer camps for nine years. In addition to his professional experience, Orr officiated collegiate games for 13 years, working the NCAA tournament in 2011 and including service for the PAC 10/12, West Coast, Big West Conference and multiple small college conferences. He also has 15 years of high school officiating experience.
Orr has called 7 games total for the Celtics, with a record of 1-6 in those games and they are 0-2 this season with Orr calling the game. One game last season was the loss in Denver where the Celtics shot 17 free throws to 31 for the Nuggets. The free throws in the first three quarters were 22-5 in Denver's favor and and only evened up somewhat in the 4th quarter after the game was out of the Celtics' reach. Another game he called was also against the Nuggets where the officiating was again terrible with the Nuggets shooting 36 free throws to 16 for the Celtics. He called the loss to the Grizzlies this season where the Grizzlies shot 22 free throws to 18 for the Celtics and the officiating wasn't bad. He also called the loss to the Timberwolves where the Celtics shot 18 free throws to 22 for the Wolves and the officiating again wasn't bad. The Bucks are 7-1 all time with Orr. As with many young refs, he tends to be influenced by the home crowd. His home W/L record this season is 9-1.
Gary Zielinski
Gary Zielinski has officiated 720 regular season games and nine Playoff games. In addition to his 11 seasons in the NBA, Zielinski officiated for seven seasons in the CBA and four in the WNBA. Zielinski worked the CBA Finals from 1997-2000, the CBA All-Star Game in 1995 and the WNBA Finals from 1998-2001.
The Celtics are 0-1 this season and 2-8 in their last 10 games with Zielinski on the court. The loss this season was to the Rockets where the Celtics took 20 free throws to 24 for Houston and the game was evenly officiated. One loss last season was vs the Pistons who shot 26 free throws to 19 for the Celtics. He also called the loss at Golden State where the Celtics shot 21 free throws to 16 for the Warriors. In a win over the Pacers two seasons ago, the officiating was terrible. The Celtics shot 14 free throws to 31 for the Pacers and in one sequence at the end, with the Celtics ahead the refs gave the Pacers 3 shots and the ball on a bogus flagrant and technical foul on Pietrus. Zielinski also called a loss to the Lakers last season where LA shot 20 free throws to 5 for the Celtics. That is not a misprint. The Celtics shot FIVE free throws for the game. In an incident last season, Zielinski was accused of cursing at DeMarcus Cousins when giving him a T but nothing ever came of it as far as was reported. The Bucks are 0-1 this season and 4-6 in their last 10. He definitely tends to favor the home team with a home W/L record this season of 11-3.