Celtics (41-9) at Nuggets (32-20) 2/19

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BostonCeltics (41-9) at Denver Nuggets (32-20)
Tuesday, February 19
9:00 PM ET
Game #51, Road Game #24
TV: NBA LP ch 755, Altitude HD, CSN HD
Radio: Sirius 123, WEEI
Pepsi Center



Probable Starters

PG: Rajon Rondo PPG 10.4 l APG 4.8 l SPG 1.8
SG: Ray Allen PPG 18.5 | APG 3.0 | 3P% .375
SF: Paul Pierce PPG 20.6 | RPG 5.6| APG 4.8
PF: Kevin Garnett PPG 19.2 | RPG 9.9 | BPG 1.4
C: Kendrick Perkins PPG 7.3 | RPG 5.6 | BPG 1.3

Off the Bench

T Allen/ House/ Pollard/ Posey/Powe/Davis

Injuries:
Pollard, ankle, probable
KG, ab strain, probable
Perk, shoulder, probable
Big Baby, knee bruise, probable
Brian Scalabrine, groin, out




ProbableStarters

PG: Anthony Carter PPG 8.0 l APG 6.1 l SPG 1.6
SG: Allen Iverson PPG 26.5 | APG 7.3 | 3P% .337
SF: Carmelo Anthony PPG 26.2 | RPG 7.3 | APG 3.3
PF: Kenyon Martin PPG 11.3 | RPG 6.5 | BPG 1.4
C: Marcus Camby PPG 9.2 | RPG 14.3 | BPG 3.9

Off the Bench

Kleiza/Najera/Smith/Diawara/Von Wafer

Injuries
Chucky Atkins,surgery, out
Steven Hunter, knee, questionable
Nene, tumor, out

Key matchups
Every matchup in the starting lineup is going to be key in this game. There is a tough matchup for the Celtics at every position.
vs
Perk vs Camby is going to be a battle. Both are strong inside players and both take pride in their interior defense. Hopefully Perk will be healthy enough to battle with Camby because he is the only player big enough and strong enough to keep him away from the boards.

vs
Pierce will have his hands full with Carmelo. Melo is an offensive threat, but also can rebound and Pierce will need to concentrate on defense to try to contain him. We will probably see Posey on Melo at times as well.

vs
KG vs KMart should be a good matchup with some defensive battles inside as well. If he is healthy enough to play, KG may show some rust, but he also will be chomping at the bit to play and may be like one of those little cars that you pull back and let go.

Honorable Mention
Rondo vs Carter Rondo will be going up against a veteran point guard and will need to play smart and not let Carter get the best of him because of his experience.

Ray Allen vs Allen Iverson. Iverson is a definite offensive threat. We have seen some good defense from Ray already this season and but he will need help to try to contain Iverson. Hopefully Ray will continue his hot shooting from the All Star game and make Iverson work on the defensive end as well.

Keys to the Game
Don't Forget What Works The Celtics have been successful because of their tough in your face defense. They have to come out strong on the defensive end and make the Nuggets work for every basket. Also when they move the ball, they find the open man and the offense flows. When they try to do too much individually, the ball stops moving and so does the offense.

Don't Lose Composure The Celtics can't afford to lose their composure. In spite of being tied for 25th in points allowed, the Nuggets are a decent defensive team in that they lead the league in steals (9.31), are 2nd in blocks (7.04) and are 6th in field goal percentage allowed. The Celtics have tended to lose composure when teams play defense against them and they can't afford that against this team.

Game Notes:
As I write this, there is no definitive word as to whether Perk or KG will be playing. Hopefully both will be well enough to play as this is one team that we need to field a big lineup against. The Celtics beat the Nuggets in Boston on November 7, 119-93, when they were at full strength to begin the season.

The Nuggets are tough at home with a 21-6 home record. They are 15-6 against Eastern Conference teams. The Celtics, of course, are 16-0 against the West and it would be nice to keep that going. The Nuggets are 6-4 in their last 10 games and are coming off a loss to the Magic. The Celtics are 8-2 in their last 10 in spite of playing without KG and Perk and have won 5 in a row.