The Celtics host the Memphis Grizzlies for the first of two games this season. They play again in Memphis on March 31st. The Celtics lost 2-0 to the Grizzlies last season. They are 37-19 overall against the Grizzlies and 19-9 overall in games played in Boston. This is the second straight game for the Celtics. They are 4-0 so far on the second night of back-to-back games.

The Celtics are in 2nd place in the East, 1 game behind the first place Cavaliers. They are 10-2 at home and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 2-1 against Western Conference teams. They have won their last three games. The Grizzlies are in fourth place in the West, 2.5 games out of first place. They are 4-5 on the road and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 8-3 against Eastern Conference teams and looking for their second straight win.

Marcus Smart spent 9 years with the Celtics and became the heart and soul of the team. He was involved in the trade that brought Kristaps Porzingis to Boston, which broke my heart and many other Celtics fans. It was thought that he would go to a competitor in the West, but last season they had injuries and setbacks all season long. Smart was missing when they played in Boston last season. Hopefully he can play in this game.

Important players were out throughout the season and the injury list was rarely less than 7 players. Bane played 42 games last season, Clarke 6 games, Smart 20 games and Morant 9 games. This year they were healthier and their fourth place finish in the West reflects that. They didn’t make many changes in the offseason, figuring players returning from injury would be enough to move them to contender status.

The Celtics are playing in the fourth game of a 5-game homestand. The Celtics defeated the Heat, the Pistons and the Bucks in the first three games and then hosted Detroit. The game in Detroit was added, along with a game in Washington on the 15th, after the Celtics failed to advance in the Emirates Cup tournament. After the Wizards, the Celtics face the Bulls in a home-and-home series before playing in Orlando.

The Grizzlies are playing in the first of two consecutive road games. The second game takes place on Sunday in Washington. They then play at home against Brooklyn and away against the Lakers. Then it’s back home against the Warriors and back to Atlanta, followed by two home games against the Lakers and Raptors before a 5-game road trip through New Orleans, OKC, Phoenix, Sacramento and Golden State.

With the Celtics playing back-to-back, Al Horford will likely sit out this game since he played against the Bucks on Friday. Porzingis missed Friday’s game and is not on the injured list for this game. Derrick White is a late addition to the injured list with a sprained ankle. He is considered likely and will likely play.

The Grizzlies have four players out and two other players are questionable. Zach Edey (ankle), GG Jackson (foot), Luke Kennard (illness) and Vince Williams, Jr. (ankle) are out for this game. Former Celtic player Marcus Smart (ankle) is questionable but has been seen taking part in shootouts and looks like he wants to play. Desmond Bane was a late addition to the injury report with a questionable toe injury and will be a game-time decision.

Likely Celtics starters

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

2-way player
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anthony Watson

Injuries/losses
Al Horford (toe) out
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) available
Derrick White (foot) probably

Head coach
Joe Mazzulla

Likely Grizzlies starters

Grizzlies reserves
Santi Aldama
Jay Huff
John Konchar
Jake LaRavia
Scotty Pippen, Jr

Two-way player
Colin Castleton
Yuki Kawamura
Cam Spencer

Injuries/losses
Zach Edey (ankle) is out
GG Jackson II (foot) out
Luke Kennard (due to illness) is out
Vince Williams, Jr. (ankle) is out
Marcus Smart (ankle) questionable
Desmond Bane (toe) questionable

Head coach
Taylor Jenkins

Key Matches

Jrue Holiday vs. Ja Morant
Morant is averaging 20.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game. He shoots 44.8% from the field and 26.3% from distance. Morant is very athletic and quick, so he can cause problems for the Celtics. You have to stay with him on defense and try to slow him down.

Jayson Tatum vs. Jaren Jackson, Jr.
Jackson is averaging 21.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He shoots 51.3% from the field and 33.3% from distance. Jackson is playing very well this season and is a real goal threat. He is also a very good defender and will make it difficult for anyone he guards to score.

Honorable mention
Derrick White vs. Desmond Bane Bane is averaging 14.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He shoots 43.5% from the field and 31.9% from distance. Bane is a good rebounder and so White has to step up to the boards and challenge him.

Key to the game
defense – Defense is always the key to victory. The Celtics slipped to 10th place with a defensive rating of 110.5. The Grizzlies rank 7th with a defensive rating of 108.6. The Grizzlies are in second place with 121.1 points per game, while the Celtics are in third place with 120.5 points per game. The Celtics rank 1st in 3-point attempts at 50.1 percent and 8th in 3-point percentage at 37.6%. The Grizzlies rank 14th in three-point attempts per game at 37.3 and 17th in 3-point percentage at 34.8%. The Celtics in particular need to protect their task better, as the Grizzlies are in 5th place with an average of 58.6 points. The Celtics defense has been up and down this season. They have to play lockdown defense for 48 minutes against the Grizzlies.

rebound -The Celtics can’t score if they don’t have the ball, and to get the ball they have to grab rebounds. The Celtics rank 14th in the league with 43.9 rebounds per game, while the Grizzlies rank 3rd with 47.5 rebounds per game. A lot of rebounding requires effort and hustle, and the Celtics will have to put in more effort than the Grizzlies to beat them in rebounding.

Play hard for 48 minutes – The difference between the Celtics’ wins and losses this year is the amount of effort they put in on both ends of the court. The Celtics need to be more aggressive when it comes to free balls, rebounding, attacking the basket and defense. You must give your full effort from the opening tip to the final whistle. Hopefully they have learned from their defeats and won’t let up for a minute in this game. You must be in control of the game from the opening tip to the final whistle. The Celtics have to be the tougher team both physically and mentally.

Move the ball – The Celtics are tough to beat when they keep the ball moving and find the open man, but when a player over-dribbles and falls into the hero ball, they falter. At the end of the Cavs game, Jayson Tatum dribbled the entire time without a pass on two crucial possessions in a row and missed contested layups on both possessions. He needs to continue doing what makes the Celtics successful and keep the ball moving. Everyone knew he wouldn’t pass the ball, so instead of taking an open shot, he dribbled into a crowd of Cavaliers. Keep the ball moving and don’t fall into hero ball either in the first or fourth quarter. Hero Ball rarely works

X factors
Home game and tiredness – The Celtics are home for the fourth straight season. They have to be motivated by the crowd and give their best to protect the home court. The Grizzlies must overcome the distractions of the road game, including travel fatigue, hotel stays, playing in front of hostile fans and in an unfamiliar arena, and the Celtics must take advantage. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back-to-back games and fatigue could be a factor down the stretch.

Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Some officials describe the game as close and ignore even the slightest contact. Others let them play and allow both teams to be physically active. Some referees describe it as one-sided for one team, while others describe it as balanced. The Celtics need to focus on playing their game and not allow bad calls or no calls at all to affect their focus on making the right play.

And be sure to check out CelticsBlog’s playback stream for live talk of the game. To participate, simply create a free account, connect your LP subscriber if you have one, and join our community.