Another day, another frustrating loss in the books. Last game was against Denver, and we dropped our first game of the year to them after definitive double digit wins in the previous two meetings. Without retreading the entire game again, suffice it to say that there was a general lack of effort on the boards and that our defensive discipline was not where it could be. The result is us dropping another game that we should have won at home.
Tonight we take on the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are 30-14, and have recently been playing fairly well despite a plethora of injuries to the squad. They've won 3 straight games by double digits (2 of them by at least 24 points) against good teams, including the Lakers and the surging Grizzlies. They have lost some games in the last few weeks to less amazing teams though, most notably a loss to Phoenix.
Speaking of how injured the Celtics have been, let's look at our injury report:Jrue Holiday is probable with left knee soreness for tomorrow’s game vs Boston
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 25, 2020
Injury Report: https://t.co/EkN201lXuX#Pelicans | @MorrisBartLLC pic.twitter.com/H3MckfKwt6
As you can see, mostly bland except Jrue's been added to it as probable. So he'll probably play but just be aware of that.
The Celtics are good. They're 5th in ORtg, and 4th in DRtg. 17th in pace, they're a relatively slow team compared to us, but they're coached well so pushing the pace shouldn't hurt them too badly. They're top 15 in all Four Offensive Factors, and top 15 in 3 of the Four Defensive Factors as well. They're one of the best FT% teams in the NBA, shooting about 81% as a team, which helps propel their mediocre shooting percentages (15th in FG% and 14th in 3PT%) up into a higher level, along with the fact that they don't turn the ball over and pick up a large percentage of their own offensive rebounds.
Just like with Denver, one of the keys to nullifying the Boston offense is to hawk the ball handlers, force turnovers, and prevent those second chance points from OREBs. It didn't go well against Denver: maybe take 2 will be better? In any case, I'm looking forward to seeing more Zion minutes, particularly against a team with as much trouble at the 5 as the Celtics have; without Kanter or Rob Williams, they need to rely on Poirier and Theis minutes, and while Theis is actually very solid and Poirier can occasionally show signs, neither of them are really dominant defensive presences. Not that Kanter is either :hihi: but you get what I mean.
Tatum and Brown are both listed as questionable for this game, and obviously their presence will make a huge difference if they're active. Tatum has been an elite team defender this year, and him being available for them would be a bad sign; he's a solid offensive player who can make life difficult for Ingram who really could do with an easier night to help him snap out of his slump. Let's hope the two of them are out.
Other than that, it's just playing hard and following the game plan and executing. Please try to do some of that, Pelicans. #WBD