Boston Celtics host Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors

at
Golden State Warriors (23-0) at Boston Celtics (13-9)
Friday, November 18, 2016
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #12, Home Game #6
TV: ESPN, CSN-NE, CSN-BA
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 95.7
TD Garden
Referees: Zach Zarba, Derrick Collins, Lauren Holtkamp

The Celtics host the Warriors in a much anticipated match up. The Celtics had hoped to entice Kevin Durant to come to Boston this summer but he chose the Warriors instead. This will be the first time to face them with KD in the starting lineup. They will meet one more time in Oakland on March 8.

After Durant spurned the Celtics and chose the Warriors, Jae Crowder said that it was like a slap in the face and he was upset that the Celtics unveiled to him some of their defensive secrets. He also branded the Warriors as villains. More recently he chalked his comments up to competitiveness. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the Celtics use his decision as motivation for this game. As for Durant, he said that he feels no attachment to the Celtics.

Both teams are playing in the first of back to back games. The Celtics are 3-0 so far in the first game of a back to back set with all 3 being played at home. The Bucks will once again play in Milwaukee the night after playing the Celtics while the Celtics will play in Detroit.



Probable Starters

PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Marcus Smart
PF: Kelly Olynyk
C: Amir Johnson

Celtics Reserves
Jaylen Brown
Gerald Green
Demetrius Jackson
Jordan Mickey
Terry Rozier
James Young
Jonas Jerebko
Tyler Zeller

Injuries
Al Horford (concussion) doubtful
Jae Crowder (ankle) out

Head Coach
Brad Stevens




Probable Starters


PG: Stephen Curry
SG: Klay Thompson
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Draymond Green
C: Zaza Pachulia

Reserves
Ian Clark
Andre Iguodala
Shaun Livingston
Kevon Looney
James Michael McAdoo
Patrick McCaw
JaVale McGee
Anderson Varejao
Davis West

Injuries
Draymond Green (ankle) game time decision
Damion Jones (pectoral surgery) out

Head Coach
Steve Kerr

Key Matchups
vs
Isaiah Thomas vs Stephen Curry
The simple truth is that no human can guard Stephen Curry. Avery and Isaiah and Marcus have to do the best they can but he will still get his. Curry is averaging 27.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.18 steals per game. He is shooting 46.4% from the field and 50.8% from beyond the arc. The best the Celtics can hope for is to maybe slow him down a little.

vs
Avery Bradley vs Klay Thompson
Durant is averaging 27.9 points, 8.0rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.6 steals. He is shooting 55.8% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. The Celtics are hoping to get Jae Crowder back healthy for this game and that would make things easier for them. Otherwise, it will be up to Marcus Smart to try to slow him down.

Honorable Mention
Avery Bradley vs Klay Thompson
With the addition of Durant, Thompson's stats are down a bit but he is still averaging a respectable 18.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He is shooting 44.1% from the field and 31.3% from beyond the arc.

Keys to the Game
Defense - The Warriors can put up points quickly and in bunches. They are averaging 117.4 points per game. It will be important for the Celtics to bring their defensive intensity into this game, especially to shut down the Warriors' fast breaks as they can get up the floor very quickly. The Celtics must especially guard the perimeter as the Warriors are very dangerous from beyond the arc. The Celtics must execute on the defensive end of the court and play tough team defense if they have any hope of winning this game.

Rebound - The Celtics need to crash the boards to keep the Warriors from igniting their fast breaks. The Celtics also need to rebound to give themselves second chance points and limit the second chance points for the Warriors. The Celtics are 5-0 when they out rebound their opponents. They have to crash the boards as a team to have a chance in this game.

Take Care of the Ball - The Warriors can be very disruptive by getting into the passing lanes, averaging 10 steals per game. The Celtics need to stay focused and not give the Warriors any easy opportunities to steal the ball or to get out on the break. If the Celtics get sloppy with the ball, the Warriors will make them pay.

Be Aggressive - The Celtics need to come out focused and play hard from start to finish. The Celtics have to be the more aggressive team throughout the game. They must be aggressive on defense, on the boards, in chasing down loose balls, and in taking the ball to the hoop and not settling for jumpers. They will need energy and extra effort from every player on the team.

Run, Run Run! - The Celtics play best when they run on every possession and run back on defense as well. The Warriors love to run and the Celtics have to match their effort and energy and keep up with the Warriors running game and even better, out run them.

X-Factors
Focus - The Celtics have to be focused on the game and not on all the hype of the Warriors and Kevin Durant. The only way the Celtics will get a win in this game is to outwork the Warriors and stay focused on the task at hand.

Injuries -Draymond Green is a game time decision and it could make things a little easier for the Celtics. It would also be very nice to get Al Horford and Jae Crowder back healthy and would make it a bit easier for the Celtics.

Officiating - As always, the officiating is an x-factor. Every crew officiates differently and teams never know what to expect. Sometimes they let them play and other times they call a foul on every possession. Some games they call evenly and others they favor one team or the other. It's like Forrest Gump's box of chocolate... you never know what you are going to get.