Preview: Two Injury Riddled Teams Square off as Celtics Take On Sexton, Cavaliers
David Richard | USA TODAY Sports
After crumbling last night, the Celtics are now seemingly bound for the play-in tournament. They take on the Cavaliers tonight, where a win could guarantee them no lower than the seven seed.
HOW TO WATCH
Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Time: 8:00 p.m. (EST)
Channel(s): NBC Sports Boston
PLAYER STATS
Collin Sexton is the Cavs’ leading scorer, putting up 24.4 points per game this season. Jarrett Allen is the top rebounder on the squad, averaging 9.8 a game to go along with 13.3 points. As for assists, Darius Garland is atop that category, dishing out 6.2 a night while also putting up 17.7 points. Kevin Love (11.5), Cedi Osman (10.4), and Taurean Prince (10.1) round out the team’s double-digit scorers.
Kemba Walker has been leading the Celtics lately, averaging 29.8 points in the last five games. Jayson Tatum (26.2) and Evan Fournier (21.2) are also putting up 20+ over that stretch. No one else on the team is averaging in double figures over the last five games.
RECENT GAMES
The Cavs are 21-48 this season and sit at 14th in the Eastern Conference. They are currently on an eleven game losing streak, the longest in the NBA at the moment.
With their loss yesterday, Boston has now dropped three games in a row and seven of their last ten. They are 35-34 on the year, good for seventh in the Eastern Conference. A win tonight ensures that they don’t fall below that mark this season.
INJURIES
Cleveland has a fairly lengthy injury report, with seven guys out and one guy questionable. Garland (ankle), Lamar Stevens (concussion), Isaiah Hartenstein (concussion), Larry Nance Jr. (thumb), Matthew Dellavedova (neck), Prince (ankle), and Dylan Windler (knee) are all out. Cedi Osman is questionable with an ankle injury.
The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown, as he is out for the remainder of the year and will undergo surgery to repair a torn ligament in his wrist. Robert Williams (turf toe), Kemba Walker (injury management), and Marcus Smart (calf) are all out as well.
KEYS TO THE GAME
With four of Boston’s usual starters out, everyone’s eyes will be on Tatum, including the opposing team. This season, the Celtics are 23rd in assists per game. If they want a chance at a win tonight, ball movement has to be the main focus on offense. Tatum will not be able iso every possession, so it will be up to him and Fournier to get the ball moving.
The C’s have given up 100 or more points for ten games in a row. On the flip side, the Cavaliers have the lowest-scoring offense in the league (103.8) and have failed to crack 100 in 26 of their 69 games. They are 2-24 in those games, so if the Celtics can manage to put together a solid defensive effort, their life will be a whole lot easier.
Lastly, Boston’s three-point defense has been horrendous lately, allowing 44.6% shooting over the last five games. The only bright spot to this is that the Cavs are the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA this season (33.8%). If there was ever a time for the Celtics to get back on track in that regard, it’s tonight.
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 7:30 p.m. (EST) tonight!
