Bucks (9-12) at Celtics (18-2) 12/14

[FLCeltsFan]

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Milwaukee Bucks (9-12) at Boston Celtics (18-2)
Friday, December 14
7:30 PM ET
Game #21, Home Game #12
TV: NBA LP ch 754, CSN HD, FSNN
TD Banknorth Garden



Probable Starting Lineup
PG Rajon Rondo PPG 8.4 | APG 5.2 | SPG 1.7
SG Ray Allen PPG 19.2 | APG 3.4 | 3P% .353
SF Paul Pierce PPG 20.5 | RPG 5.5 | APG 5.3
PF Big Baby Davis PPG 5.3 | RPG 3.7 | BPG 0.3
C Kevin Garnett PPG 19.1 | RPG 10.7 | BPG 1.7

Off the Bench
Eddie House, James Posey, Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe, Gabe Pruitt

Injury Report
Scot Pollard, back injury
Kendrick Perkins, toe injury


Probable Starting Lineup
PG Mo Williams PPG 14.6 | APG 7.1 | SPG 1.1
SG Michael Redd PPG 24.1 | RPG 5.5 | APG 3.6
SF Desmond Mason PPG 7.9 | RPG 3.6 | APG 1.7
PF Yi Jianlian PPG 9.8 | RPG 5.5 | BPG 1
C Andrew Bogut PPG 12.9 | RPG 8.6 | BPG 2

Off the Bench
Charlie Bell, Bobby Simmons, Jake Voskuhl, Charlie Villanueva, Dan Gadzuric

Injuries
David Noel, Sprained wrist
Michael Ruffin, wrist fracture



Key Matchups
vs
This is a tale of two draft picks. With Perk out, expect Big Baby to get the start against Yi Jianlian. From all reports, if we had not traded the #5 pick for Ray Allen and Big Baby, we would have drafted Yi Jianlian. Needless to say, Yi has a big height advantage on Big Baby, so it will be interesting to see how Big Baby can use his bulk to make up for it.

vs
This is a matchup of scorers. How goes Redd is how goes the Bucks. In the win over the Magic, Redd had a near triple double with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists. Ray will have to try to contain him while keeping him busy on the defensive end as well. This would be a good time for Ray to break out of his shooting slump.

Keys to the Game:
1. Defense. The Celtics will need to defend in the paint as well as on the perimeter.

2. Contain Michael Redd. When Redd scores 15 points, pulls down 5 rebounds and dishes out 5 assists, the Bucks are 5-0.

3. Play 48 minutes. The Celtics need to come out strong and keep their energy for 48 minutes. The Bucks are a good defensive team, holding the Magic to 33% shooting and only86 points. If we spot them a lead, it will be hard to come back against them.

Game Notes.
The Bucks come into this game with confidence, having beaten the Magic 100-86. The Bucks have big men who can score in the paint and over their last 3 games, they hold a 126-76 advantage in the paint. But you can't leave them alone on the perimeter either as they have several players who can hit the outside shot. They have also been out rebounding their opponents. The Celtics will miss Perk in this game as they could use his toughness and defense inside. The Celtics must take this team seriously right from the beginning, or they will end up in a hole they can't dig out of.
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