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Charlotte Bobcats (11-21) at Boston Celtics (29-3)
Wednesday, January 9
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #33, Home Game #18
TV: NBA LP ch 753, CSN HD, News 14 Carolina
TD Banknorth Garden
Probable Starters
Rajon Rondo/ Ray Allen/ Paul Pierce/ Kevin Garnett/ Kendrick Perkins
Off the Bench
James Posey, Eddie House, Scot Pollard, Brian Scalabrine, Tony Allen, Leon Powe, Big Baby Davis
Key off the Bench
Tony has been playing with more and more confidence on both ends of the court. His defense will be needed to keep Charlotte's 3 point shooters at bay.
Injuries: None other than stitches
Jeff McInnis/ Raymond Felton/ Jason Richardson/ Gerald Wallace/ Emeka Okafor
Off the Bench
Matt Carroll, Ryan Hollins, Jermareo Davidson, Nazr Mohammed, Jared Dudley
Key off the Bench
Matt Carroll (brother of Pat, who played for the Celtics Summer League team) can put up points in a hurry and will need to be covered outside the arc. If given the space to shoot, he can hit the 3.
Injuries
Derek Anderson, knee
Othella Harrington, knee
Sean May, knee
Adam Morrison, torn ACL
Key Matchups
vs 
Kevin Garnett (6'11") PPG 19.1 RPG 10.10 APG 3.6 EFF + 26.59
Gerald Wallace (6'6") PPG 19.4 RPG 5.20 APG 2.8 EFF + 16.91
Wallace has been playing great and it will be up to KG to keep him from putting up big numbers in this game. He has scored over 20 in each of his last 6 games. Wallace is very athletic and a good defender, but he also gives up 5 inches to KG which should give the Celtics a mismatch they can exploit.
vs 
Paul Pierce (6'7") PPG 21.5 RPG 5.70 APG 5.0 EFF + 21.28
Jason Richardson (6'6") PPG 19.4 RPG 5.20 APG 2.8 EFF + 16.91
Richardson has been averaging 28.3 ppg over his last 8 games and he leads the league in 3 point field goals made. He has hit at least one 3 pointer in 28 consecutive games. Pierce will have to concentrate on defense to keep Richardson from going off offensively.
Coaching Matchup:
vs 
The Bobcats are coached by former Celtic Sam Vincent in his first year as head coach.
Keys to the Game
Defense. The Bobcats are a good 3 point shooting team as well as having players who can get to the basket. The Celtics must defend both on the perimeter and in the paint.
Play 48 Minutes. The Celtics have to start off strong and not let up. The Bobcats have given the Celtics problems over the years and so the Celtics shouldn't think they can coast against them.
Take Care of the Ball The Bobcats rank 11th in the league in steals and if the Celtics get sloppy with the ball, they will make them pay.
Game Notes
The Bobcats came close to beating the Celtics in their first meeting this season as Ray Allen lifted the Celtics to a 96-95 win with his 3 at the buzzer. The two teams split the season series 2-2 last year and this team has typically given the Celtics problems. They have a very good front line of Richardson, Wallace and Okafor who can get to the basket and score in the paint. They also have good 3 point shooters who can stretch the defenses.
This could be a trap game in that the Celtics are still on a high after beating the Pistons on Saturday. They haven't played since Saturday and they are facing a team with an 11- 21 record who are also 1-11 on the road. The Bobcats are playing in the second of back to back games. But, they have given the Celtics problems in the past and so shouldn't be overlooked. The Celtics need to take this team serously as they can be a very dangerous team.
