The Celtics earned a 2-point victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves and will face the Los Angeles Clippers in their second consecutive home game. The Clippers also play on the second night of back-to-back games. The Celtics are 2-0 for the second consecutive game as both games are played on the road. The Clippers are 3-1 for the second straight game.

The Celtics are in second place in the East, 2.5 games behind first place Cleveland. They are 5-2 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 1-1 against Western Conference opponents. The Clippers are in 5th place in the West, 2 games behind the Warriors, who were in first place. They are 4-3 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are 4-0 against Eastern Conference teams. Both teams have won their last 5 games.

The Clippers have changed quite a bit since last season. They also lost Russell Westbrook to Denver, Brandon Boston, Jr. and Daniel Theis to New Orleans, Moussa Diabate to Charlotte, Paul George to Philadelphia, Mason Plumlee to Phoenix and Xavier Moon, who went unsigned. They added Mo Bamba, Nicolas Batum, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones, Jr. and Kevin Porter, Jr. They also added Cam Christie, the 46th pick in the draft.

After hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday, the Celtics host the Los Angeles Clippers in back-to-back games in this game. They then play in Chicago and Cleveland before returning home for five home games against Miami, Detroit, Milwaukee, Memphis and Chicago. They then visit Chicago and Orlando before another four-game homestand where they host Philadelphia, Indiana twice and Toronto.

The Clippers are playing in the second game of a 4-game road trip. They beat the 76ers in Philadelphia on Sunday before coming to Boston for this game. They will complete the road trip in Washington and Minnesota. They will then play four home games against Denver, Portland, Minnesota and Houston. They will then play two straight games in Dallas and one game in Memphis.

Luke Kornet missed the Celtics’ game against the Timberwolves on Sunday and is questionable to play in that game due to a hamstring injury. Al Horford is questionable for this game due to illness. Shams Charania reports that Kristaps Porzingis is expected to make his season debut tonight against the Clippers. I’m putting him in the starting lineup, but he could come off the bench in his first game. If so, I would expect Queta or Tillman to start.

Kawhi Leonard is allowed to return to shooting after a knee injury, but is out for this game. Norman Powell has missed the last three games with a left hamstring strain and is out for this game. PJ Tucker is out, but not due to injury. The Clippers are expected to trade Tucker if they find a trade partner to acquire him. He’s not on the team.

Likely Celtics starters

Celtics reserves
Payton Pritchard
Jaden Springer
Jordan Walsh
Sam Hauser
Baylor Scheierman
Neemias Queta
Xavier Tillman, Sr

2-way player
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anthony Watson

Injuries/losses
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) probably
Luke Kornet (hamstring injury) doubtful
Al Horford (illness) doubtful

Head coach
Joe Mazzulla

Likely Clippers starters

Clippers reserves
Mo Bamba
Nicolas Batum
Kobe Brown
Cam Christie
Bones Hyland
Terance man
Kevin Porter, Jr

Two-way player
Trentyn flowers
Kai Jones
Jordan Miller

Injuries/losses
Kawhi Leonard (knee) is out
PJ Tucker (not due to injury) is out
Norman Powell (hamstring injury) is out

Head coach
Tyronn Lue

Key Matches

Jrue Holiday vs. James Harden
Harden has been playing very well since joining the Clippers. He averages 20.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He shoots 36.5% from the field and 31.1% from distance. The Celtics need to stick with him on defense and use him for both shooting and passing.

Kristaps Porzingis vs. Ivica Zubac
Zubac is averaging 15.1 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 57.7% from the field and has yet to make a 3 this season. Since Porzingis expects to return, I added him to the starting lineup. However, it could be that he comes off the bench in his first game back and it will be one of the other centers who starts. The Celtics need to stick with Zubac and also keep him out of rebounds.

Honorable mention
Jayson Tatum vs. Derrick Jones, Jr
Jones is averaging 10.3 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. He shoots 48.2% from the field and 42.1% from distance. He’s a good 3-point shooter, so the Celtics need to protect him especially around the rim.

Key to the game
defense – As always, defense is the key to victory in this and any other game. The Clippers average 108.6 points per game (26th) while the Celtics average 120.7 points per game (2nd). The Celtics are 8th with a defensive rating of 110.7, while the Clippers are 5th with a defensive rating of 107.6. The Clippers won with their defense, and if the Celtics want to win this game, they need to prioritize defense and put more effort into defense than the Clippers.

rebound – The Celtics can’t score if they don’t have the ball. A big part of rebounding is effort and will, and so the Celtics will have to put in extra effort on the boards to gain more possession and limit the Clippers’ fast-break opportunities and second-chance points. When the Celtics put in extra effort on the boards, it often impacts other areas of their game as well. The Celtics average 42.8 rebounds per game (20th) while the Clippers average 46.2 rebounds per game (5th). The Celtics have to work harder on the boards than the Clippers.

Energy and effort for 48 minutes – The Celtics need to come out with energy and play harder than the Clippers from the opening tip to the final whistle. Winning this game will require 100% of Celtic’s effort. The Clippers played very well and the Celtics can’t expect to win with less than 100% effort. They have to be the more aggressive team, get off to a quick start and play hard until the final whistle without letting up. They’re going to get their best from the Clippers and that’s why the Celtics just have to work harder and not let up.

Play correctly – The Celtics have to play the right way. The Celtics have problems when players dribble and isolate too much and try to do too much. On the other hand, good things happen when they move the ball and try to make the extra pass and find the open man and the best shot. You have to take good shots and not force hard-fought shots. If they don’t hit their 3-pointers, they have to find other ways to score without shooting themselves out of the game. Most of the time they moved the ball and played unselfishly, but sometimes the Jays in particular get into hero balls and they have to limit those times.

X factors
Home game – The Celtics are at home for the second year in a row. They have to protect the home court and play with energy and commitment. The Celtics should get a boost from the home crowd and playing on their home court. The Clippers have the distraction of travel, hotel stays and playing in front of a hostile crowd.

back to back – Both teams play on the second night of consecutive games. The Clippers play both games on the road while the Celtics play both games at home. The Celtics lost to the Timberwolves until the end, while the Clippers had an easy game against the 76ers. The Clippers’ starters all played less than 27 minutes, while the Celtics’ starters played between 33 and 38 minutes. As things progress, fatigue could come into play.

Officiating – I know I say this every game, but management can be a deciding factor in every game. Every team decides the game differently, whether they punish every little ticky-tack foul or give up a lot of contact and let the teams play. Some referees prefer the home team, others less so. The Celtics need to get used to the way the game is going and not get distracted by the referee.

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