Cleveland Cavaliers (13-11) at Boston Celtics (17-5) Game #23 12/14/23

The Celtics host the Cavaliers for the second of 3 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game on Tuesday and will play the final game in Cleveland on March 5. The Cavaliers won the series last season 3-1 with the Celtics losing both games played in Cleveland and one of the games in Boston and their lone win was in Boston. Unlike Tuesday’s game where the Celtics had 4 days rest and the Cavs were playing back to back, both teams come into this game with just one day’s rest.

The Celtics are 1st in the East, 1.5 game ahead of Orlando, who they face twice this week. They are 1.5 games ahead of Milwaukee and Philadelphia. They are 11-0 at home and are the only remaining team unbeaten at home. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games. The Celtics are 16-4 against other Eastern Conference teams and won their last 2 games. The Cavs are 9th in the East, 5 games behind Boston and one game behind 6th place New York. They are 3 games ahead of 10th place Atlanta. They are 7-5 on the road and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 9-6 against Eastern Conference teams and have lost their last 2 games.

The Celtics are 138-86 all time overall against the Cavaliers and 83-27 all time in Boston. The Cavaliers are playing in the 4th and final game of a 4 game road trip. They beat the Heat on Friday in Miami to begin the road trip and lost to the Magic in Orlando on Monday night before losing to Boston on Tuesday. T They will then begin a 4 game home stand. The Celtics are playing in the first of back to back games. This is their 2nd back to back set this season and they are 2-0 on the first night so far.

The Celtics are playing in the 3rd of a 5 game home stand after the In Season Tournament. They beat the Knicks on Friday and these same Cavaliers on Tuesday. They will play the Magic twice with the first as a back to back on Friday and the second on Sunday. They will then head out on a 4 game Western Conference road trip through the Warriors, Kings, Clippers and Lakers that will finish up on Christmas day when the Celtics play the Lakers on national TV.

Jaylen Brown is listed as questionable with a sprained ankle. If he doesn’t play, I would guess that Sam Hauser or Delano Banton would get the start in his place. Following shoot around, Kristaps Porzingis had soreness in his calf and is listed as probable for this game. If he can’t play, Al Horford will likely start at center. Both players are a game time decision.

For the Cavaliers, Ty Jerome is out with an ankle injury. He hasn’t played since October 27. Ricky Rubio is out for personal reasons. He is away from the team to focus on his mental health. Evan Mobley is out once again after missing the last 3 games with a knee injury. Dean Wade will likely start in his place again.

Probable Celtics Starters

Celtics Reserves
Delano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Lamar Stevens
Jordan Walsh

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Neemias Queta
Drew Peterson

Injuries/Out
Jaylen Brown (ankle) questionable
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) probable

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Cavaliers Starters

Cavaliers Reserves
Damian Jones
Sam Merrill
Georges Niang
Isaac Okoro
Tristan Thompson

Two Way Players
Emoni Bates
Isaiah Mobley
Craig Porter, Jr

Injuries/Out
Ty Jerome (ankle) out
Evan Mobley (knee) out
Ricky Rubio (personal) out

Head Coach
JB Bickerstaff

Key Matchups

Derrick White vs Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell is averaging 27.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game. He is shooting 45.2% from the field and 34.9% from beyond the arc. In Tuesday’s game, he finished with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. He shot 50% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. Slowing Mitchell down will be key to getting a win for the Celtics.

Jrue Holiday vs Darius Garland
Garland and Donovan have formed a very good backcourt for the Cavs. Garland is averaging 20.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He is shooting 47.4% from the field and 34.0%from beyond the arc. In Tuesday’s game he finished with 26 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal. He shot 47.8% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. As with Mitchell, slowing him down will be key to winning this game.

Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs Max Strus
Strus is averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 41.7% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. In Tuesday’s game he finished with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. He shot 40% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. Strus always seems to play better when he faces his former team and will likely continue that trend in this game. Jaylen Brown is questionable after tweaking h is ankle on Tuesday. If he doesn’t play, I would guess that Hauser or Banton will get the start.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning games. The Cavaliers are a good defensive team with a 111.2 defensive rating, which is 8th in the league. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 109.3, which is 4th. The Celtics allowed the Cavs to score 60 points in the first half on Tuesday and they have to do better than that in this game. The Cavs shot 42.2% from beyond the arc on Tuesday and the Celtics have got to defend the perimeter better. The Celtics must make defense a priority in this game and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up. The Cavs are going to play good defense and so the Celtics will need to match or exceed their defensive intensity.

Rebound - Next to defense, rebounding is a key to winning. Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. The Celtics are averaging 46.8 rebounds per game (3rd) while the Cavs are averaging 44.4 rebounds per game (12th). The Celtics out-rebounded the Cavs 45-35 on Tuesday and they need to aggressively go after every rebound in this game.

Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics need to move the ball and find teammates for the best shots available. They play their best when the ball is moving and they are finding the open man. They struggle when the ball sticks and players try to do too much and play iso ball. The Celtics had just 23 assists on Tuesday and they need to move the ball more in this game. However, they need to make careful passes because the Cavs average 17.4 points off turnovers per game and if the Celtics get sloppy, they will make them pay.

Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes - The Celtics need to stay focused for 48 minutes. They have to play with effort. The Cavs play hard as the Celtics found out on Tuesday and so the Celtics need to match that effort and play even harder. The team that plays harder and is more aggressive is usually the team that comes out on top. The Celtics also have to stay focused. They have to focus on taking good shots and making them. When they are focused, they usually make their shots. They also have to keep that effort and focus up for 48 minutes with no let up and no collapse.

X-Factors
Home vs Road - The Celtics are in the middle of a long home stand and they are undefeated at home so far. The Celtics need to continue to protect home court and use the crowd support for motivation. The Cavs are playing in the final game of a road trip and the final game is always the toughest. They also have to deal with staying in hotels and playing on an unfamiliar court and in front of hostile fans.

Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. The refs have been calling games fairly tight and have been quick to call techs this season. Complaining to the refs about bad calls just seems to make it worse and has gotten players tossed recently. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.