Who's Playing
Matchup: Golden State Warriors vs Boston Celtics
Records: Warriors (34-14), Celtics (30-18)
Where to Watch
Date: Sunday, Jan. 27
Time: 7:00 AM IST
TV: Sony Ten1
Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Game Preview
In what would be a potential 2019 Finals preview, the Golden State Warriors put their 9-game win streak on the line against the Celtics in Boston. Meanwhile, the C's themselves have won their last 10 at home including their overtime thriller against the Philadelphia 76ers on Christmas Day.
In their last three games, the Warriors have welcomed back DeMarcus Cousins to the line-up and given the injury he is returning, he has been sensational, to say the least. In these three games, he is averaging 13 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 46.9% shooting in 20.2 minutes per game.
If the Warriors' four current All-Stars finding their stride wasn't enough, Cousins' getting into a rhythm is a scary proposition for the rest of the league.
As part of the team's current win streak, the most impressive win has come at Denver where they beat the Nuggets by 31 points. Over the course of their win streak, they have a league-leading point differential of 17.3 while the second-placed Bucks have a point differential of 10.0 in the same span.
Despite the Warriors' early struggles, their offense was never an issue. For the season, they have the best offensive rating in the league (115.7) while ranking at the top of major offensive stats - points per game (118.9 - 1st), FG% (49.1%), 3P% (38.9%), FT% (82.0%), and assists per game (29.2).
Coming to the Celtics, the team has been patient in ensuring they have team chemistry and roster balance when it really counts. They've had multiple (3) three-game losing streaks but after the entire league has played 48 games on average, Boston is only one of three franchises (Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets) to rank in the top 10 of offensive (111.1 - 10th) and defensive rating (104.8 - 5th).
Trailing the third-seeded 76ers by 1.5 games and the top seed by 5.5, the Celtics certainly have some catching up to do as they are currently seeded 5th in the Eastern Conference.
Over the last three years, Boston has split the season series with the Warriors. In fact, two of these three times, they beat the West champs at Oracle. Will they win this one as well to take the lead in the season series?
Going by the repots, health won't certainly be an issue as the core rotations for both teams seem to be healthy and ready to go.
Game Notes
- The Golden State Warriors continue their five-game road trip, this being their fourth game on the trip. They currently have the best road record in the league: 16-8.
- On the other hand, the Celtics have among the best home records in the league: 19-5.
- The Warriors would be without the duo of Jonas Jerebko (Personal) and Damian Jones (Pectoral).
- The Celtics would be without Jabari Bird (Not injury related) while Kyrie Irving is a game-time decision with an illness.
Last Time They Played
Date: Jan. 28, 2018
Score: Celtics 109-105 Warriors
Celtics: Kyrie Irving - 37 points, and 4 assists on 72.2% shooting (13-18 FG's)
Warriors: Stephen Curry - 49 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds on 66.7% shooting (16-24 FG's)
