
© D. Ross Cameron
BSJ Live Coverage: Celtics vs. Warriors 7:00 p.m. - Keeping things rolling
BOSTON CELTICS (45-23) at GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (33-35)
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Game time: 7:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub
Celtics injury report:
John Tonje - OUT (G League, two-way)
Nikola Vucevic - OUT (right ring finger fracture)
Warriors injury report:
Jimmy Butler III - OUT (right ACL surgery)
LJ Cryer - QUESTIONABLE (left hamstring injury management)
Seth Curry - OUT (left adductor strain)
Stephen Curry - OUT (right patellofemoral pain syndrome)
Al Horford - OUT (right soleus strain)
Moses Moody - OUT (right wrist sprain)
Gary Payton II - PROBABLE (left tibial contusion)
Quinten Post - QUESTIONABLE (right foot injury management)
What to watch for: After a tough two-game losing streak, the Boston Celtics are rolling again. They’ve won two games in a row and will now welcome the Golden State Warriors to TD Garden on Wednesday night.
Boston is fighting to keep the two seed in the East, while the Warriors are currently fighting for Play-In positioning.
Tale of the tape: Wednesday night will mark the second time this season that the Celtics have taken on the Warriors.
Boston traveled to San Francisco on February 19 for their first game after the All-Star break. Payton Pritchard had 26 points, and Jaylen Brown finished with a 23-point, 15-rebound, 13-assist triple-double.
The Celtics left The Bay with a 121-110 victory.
Last game: The Celtics took down the Phoenix Suns on Monday night, earning a 111-100 victory. Jaylen Brown (41 points) outdueled Devin Booker (40 points), shooting 21 free throws along the way. (He made 19 of them.)
Standings check-in: Boston is still second place in the Eastern Conference, a full four games behind the Detroit Pistons, who have been in first place for most of the season.
As for the third-placed New York Knicks, the Celtics are only one game ahead.
Warriors check-in: It’s been a brutal season for the Warriors when it comes to injuries. Stephen Curry is dealing with a knee issue and hasn’t appeared in a game since January 30.
Jimmy Butler III tore his ACL at the end of January, and Al Horford is even missing time right now. Add in Kristaps Porzingis’ injury issues, and the Warriors have been fighting an uphill battle recently.
Golden State is just 3-7 in its last 10 games.
Porzingis played great on Monday night in a 125-117 win over the Washington Wizards. He put up 30 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and three blocks. The former Celtic shot 8-of-13 from the field, 1-of-5 from deep range, and 13-of-14 from the free-throw line.
Brandin Podziemski has been playing well as of late. In his last 10 games, he has averaged 17.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.0 steals while shooting 44.3% from the field and 37.7% from deep on 6.9 three-point attempts per contest.
De’Anthony Melton and Gui Santos have both also been playing well lately, putting up 16.8 points (last six games) and 15.9 points (last 10 games), respectively.
One fun play: This play is a great example of how the Celtics can manipulate defenses by exploiting their spacing.
Everyone knows how great a shooter Sam Hauser is. But the Suns were also looking to put pressure on Jaylen Brown.
So, when Hauser set the screen for Brown, instead of slipping out to the three-point line, he cut to the basket. And since Jalen Green and Royce O’Neale were so concerned with making Brown uncomfortable, Hauser was wide open.