Post by Admin on Nov 7, 2022 17:55:10 GMT -5
For the Grizzlies, Steven Adams turned his ankle last night in a close win against the Washington Wizards, leading to him being questionable. This could be a big boost for a depleted Celtics frontcourt that has, at times, struggled with rebounding. On the season, Adams is averaging 11 rebounds per game to go with 6.7 points.
Ziare Williams is out tonight with right patellar tendinitis, and Kenny Lofton will also miss the game on G League assignment. Speaking of the G-League, the Celtics are hitting their “break glass in case of emergency” button by calling up Mfiondu Kabengele, one of Boston’s two Two-Way Players as emergency depth. Al Horford is, by all indications, going to be ready to go tonight, but still, the frontcourt is down to just Horford, Grant Williams, Noah Vonleh and Blake Griffin. It’ll be good to have that extra body just in case, especially with the energy Kabengele brings.
Ziare Williams is out tonight with right patellar tendinitis, and Kenny Lofton will also miss the game on G League assignment. Speaking of the G-League, the Celtics are hitting their “break glass in case of emergency” button by calling up Mfiondu Kabengele, one of Boston’s two Two-Way Players as emergency depth. Al Horford is, by all indications, going to be ready to go tonight, but still, the frontcourt is down to just Horford, Grant Williams, Noah Vonleh and Blake Griffin. It’ll be good to have that extra body just in case, especially with the energy Kabengele brings.
Let's hope Kabengele made it to Memphis on a Jetplane and didn't take the train:
So the Grizz are missing two bigs (Adams/Jackson) and that means run, run, run ... no walking in Memphis!
Memphis is missing Jaren Jackson Jr. due to a foot injury, and without De’Anthony Melton, who was dealt to Philadelphia on draft night. The size and creativity of this Grizzlies team are still something Boston has to be concerned about. Memphis is second in offensive rebounds per game, and with Horford as the only true big man that Mazzulla consistently trusts, it is going to be a team effort to limit one of Memphis’ strongest strengths.
Boston Celtics-Memphis Grizzlies a matchup between two future powers
Even though the Boston Celtics have won 12 out of the last 13 contests between these two, the youth and grit of this determined side to show they belong in a deep Western Conference create a whole new matchup for the years to come. It is the beginning of a run against three tough opponents from the opposite conference, and a way to see how the Cs not only stack up against their own conference but teams around the league.
As Joe Mazzulla alluded to, Boston has the tendency to take their foot off the gas at times, but against a playoff-bound team like the Grizzlies, a second-quarter lapse cannot happen. The two losses to Cleveland could highlight some things that the Boston Celtics could improve against top competition, and the perfect time to make a statement to a team like the undefeated Bucks is in a battle against the second-best regular season team in 2021/22.
Both Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum are in the top ten in the scoring charts in the early stages of the NBA season. Each player has that attitude that they are the best player on the floor night in and night out, making the duel between the two even more electrifying. Marcus Smart playing man-to-man defense on one of the most explosive offensive threats this league has to offer is must-see television. The Celtics’ defense is now taking steps in the right direction to complement an offensive threat that leads the NBA in three-pointers made per game at an astounding 16.
To think that this consistency from deep is going to continue is far from the truth, but with the ways Boston has demonstrated how it can grind out results over the last two contests, shooting is not something it is so reliant on as it may seem from the outside.
The Boston Celtics shot a horrific 29 percent from three against Chicago, but they found other ways to break down the opposition with the depth it they now possesses with Malcolm Brogdon on board. Memphis may be a physical team that knows how to put the ball in the basket at a consistent clip, but the Cs have shown that essential quality of adaptability that is going to win them a whole lot of games that last season’s team simply could not pull out.
Even though the Boston Celtics have won 12 out of the last 13 contests between these two, the youth and grit of this determined side to show they belong in a deep Western Conference create a whole new matchup for the years to come. It is the beginning of a run against three tough opponents from the opposite conference, and a way to see how the Cs not only stack up against their own conference but teams around the league.
As Joe Mazzulla alluded to, Boston has the tendency to take their foot off the gas at times, but against a playoff-bound team like the Grizzlies, a second-quarter lapse cannot happen. The two losses to Cleveland could highlight some things that the Boston Celtics could improve against top competition, and the perfect time to make a statement to a team like the undefeated Bucks is in a battle against the second-best regular season team in 2021/22.
Both Ja Morant and Jayson Tatum are in the top ten in the scoring charts in the early stages of the NBA season. Each player has that attitude that they are the best player on the floor night in and night out, making the duel between the two even more electrifying. Marcus Smart playing man-to-man defense on one of the most explosive offensive threats this league has to offer is must-see television. The Celtics’ defense is now taking steps in the right direction to complement an offensive threat that leads the NBA in three-pointers made per game at an astounding 16.
To think that this consistency from deep is going to continue is far from the truth, but with the ways Boston has demonstrated how it can grind out results over the last two contests, shooting is not something it is so reliant on as it may seem from the outside.
The Boston Celtics shot a horrific 29 percent from three against Chicago, but they found other ways to break down the opposition with the depth it they now possesses with Malcolm Brogdon on board. Memphis may be a physical team that knows how to put the ball in the basket at a consistent clip, but the Cs have shown that essential quality of adaptability that is going to win them a whole lot of games that last season’s team simply could not pull out.