Here are five things to watch out for when the Boston Celtics and the Utah Jazz meet at 7:30 p.m. tonight at TD Garden.
Boston and Utah met back on Feb. 19 during the Celtics’ first post-All-Star break game. Utah pulled out a 111-93 win that was as dominant as the score indicates.
That night, the Celtics looked like a team that just came off of a nine-day break. They shot just 37.0 percent from the field and allowed Utah to shoot 54.4 percent from the field, all while getting to the line for 44 free throw attempts. Needless to say, they didn’t play like the team that had gone 10-2 during its final 12 games before the break.
Boston has slowly but surely gotten back to that level of play since its stop in Salt Lake City. It has progressed during each of its four games since and has won three of those contests.
These C’s are back on the same page. Ten days ago in Utah, they weren’t even in the same chapter.
One issue that plagued Boston during its post-All-Star break road trip was its inability to overcome opposing size. Its game against the Jazz was no exception.
Utah boasts one of the largest frontlines in the league and it took advantage of its size against the C’s. Derrick Favors, who is 6-foot-10, put together one of the strongest performances of his six-year career when he totaled 23 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and three blocks. Rudy Gobert, who is 7-foot-1 and bouncy, chipped in 12 rebounds, 11 points and four blocks.
Both Favors and Gobert are taller than any player in Boston’s starting frontcourt. Add in their length and athleticism and Utah has a great advantage in the paint. It will be a hefty challenge for Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson and the rest of Boston’s big men to control Favors and Gobert tonight.
As indicated by the numbers listed above, Utah’s big men had a block party during these teams’ last meeting. Favors and Gobert swatted away seven of Boston’s shots and affected many more.
More recently, the Celtics struggled against the league’s leading shot blocker, Hassan Whiteside, this weekend. Whiteside blocked eight shots Saturday afternoon amid Boston’s 101-89 win over the Heat.
The Celtics do not have a ton of size on their roster. They use penetration and ball movement to get their open shots. Tonight, while playing against this long and athletic frontline of Utah, the C’s must get to the basket and make Favors and/or Gobert commit to them. Once they draw that commitment, they should then be able to drop off dishes to their teammates for easier looks around the basket.
Boston’s players and coaches must be sleeping well of late. First and foremost, they’re winning. Secondly, they’re laying down in their own beds more consistently right now than they have since the first week of the season.
Tonight’s game will mark the third game of a season-long, five-game homestand for the Celtics. Prior to this stretch, the C’s had not played more than two consecutive games at home since Oct.28-Nov. 1, their opening three games of the season.
Thus far, Boston has gone 2-for-2 in grabbing wins during this homestand. The C’s have won 10 straight home games overall and have a chance to extend that streak tonight.
Many NBA pundits view the Celtics and the Jazz as two of the up-and-coming young teams in the league. However, they appear to be heading in opposite directions at the moment.
As previously noted, the Celtics are playing solid basketball right now. They have won three of their last four games and have shed the cloud of doubt that briefly surrounded them amid a 1-2 start out of the All-Star break.
Utah, which had won seven of its last eight prior to the All-Star break, has slipped considerably in the win-loss column. Following a seven-game win streak from Jan. 27-Feb. 9, the Jazz have gone just 2-4. They were just crushed by the Spurs Thursday night on their home court by a score of 96-78.
There is no doubt that both of these rosters are talented with bright futures. However, at this moment in time, they are headed in different directions. The Celtics are playing well and are poised to grab a top-four seed in the East. The Jazz, meanwhile, are fighting for their playoff lives and aren’t exactly helping that cause with their recent play.
