NFL Show
This Sunday, the (18-5) Boston Celtics will travel to Brooklyn, NY to take on the (13-11) Brooklyn Nets. Tipoff will be at 6:00 PM EST inside the Barclays Center. Boston has jumped out to a hot start to begin this season and the Nets are starting to heat up, as I expect a battle in this one.
The Celtics are coming into this matchup after falling to the Miami Heat, 120-116 in overtime. Boston struggled to shoot from the perimeter, as they only made 33.3% of their shots from three. They will have to be more efficient on the offensive end if they want to challenge the Nets on the road.
The Nets are entering this game after taking down the Toronto Raptors, 114-105. Brooklyn shot 53.7% from the field, as they were scorching hot in the first half of that game. They will have to stay hot in this one if they want to take down the Celtics at home.
This game was written/published be fore last night's results.
The Boston Celtics are currently in first place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they have a two-game lead over the second-place Milwaukee Bucks. On offense, the Celtics are scoring 121.6 points per game and they are shooting 49.6% from the field. This is the most points scored per contest and the third-highest team shooting percentage in the league. According to dunksandthrees.com, Boston has an adjusted offensive efficiency rating of 121.9, which is the highest rating in the NBA. Jayson Tatum has continued to lead the way on the offensive end of the floor, as he is scoring 30.8 points per game on 47.9% shooting from the field. Boston has also shown that they have multiple players that can make it rain from deep. They are shooting 40.4% from behind the arc, which is the highest team three-point shooting percentage. The Celtics have also been efficient at the charity stripe, as they are shooting 84.7% at the stripe. This is the highe st free-throw shooting percentage in the league, as they can't miss out on these free looks at the rim and still expect to win these games.
On the defensive end of the court, the Celtics haven't been suffocating their opponents like they did last season. They are currently allowing their opponents to score 113.6 points per game and they have shot 47.2% from the field. This is the 16th most points surrendered per contest, but the 19th-highest shooting percentage allowed. They will have to continue to defend shots near the rim and on the perimeter, as their perimeter defense has lacked at times as well. The Celtics have allowed their opponents to shoot 35.4% from behind the arc, which is the 13th-lowest three-point shooting percentage allowed in the league. Boston has also snatched 41.9 rebounds per game, which is the 25th most in the league. They will have to clean the glass and secure the ball if they want to keep the Nets from scoring second-chance po ints.
Injury Report: Danilo Gallinari SF (Knee) and Robert Williams III C (knee) are both out for this game.
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