There’s a couple of storylines that are worth looking at for this intriguing match-up, including the battle of the brilliance between the San Antonio Spurs’ future Hall-of-Fame coach, Greg Popovich, and the Boston Celtics’ young coach Brad Stevens, who’s continuously stacking a good resume for himself.
Back in the win column
The Spurs are back in the win column after a three game losing streak. They beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, 121-112, courtesy of a fine performance from their All-Star center, LaMarcus Aldridge. The 13-year veteran lorded over the defense and had a season-high 39 points on 19-for-23 shooting from the floor.
Aldridge and DeRozan will have to do better
Aldridge’s monster game is hopefully a momentum builder, as he’s only averaging 19 points and 6.6 rebounds on the season, which is toeing the subpar line for touted big man.
DeRozan hasn’t been as impactful as he was in year’s past as well. Though he’s being efficient with his shot selection (career-high 51.6%), his 20 PPG on the year is his lowest since the 2012-13 season. As the most talented and proven scorer on the roster, he has to be more assertive on offense.
The Celtics are rolling
The Eastern Conference is home to the defending champs and rising powerhouse teams, but the Celtics are slowly re-establishing a respectable presence. They are coming in having won six straight games and they are doing it with a balanced offensive attack and a hounding defense.
The Celtics are the only team to have three guys averaging 20 or more points – Kemba Walker (24.3), Jayson Tatum (21.3), and the rejuvenated Gordon Hayward (20.3).
Walker and Tatum were expected to carry the scoring, so Hayward’s return to form is a very pleasant surprise. It’s exciting to see the veteran regain his confidence, who now has three 20-plus point games on the season and one 39-point performance where he made 17 of his 20 shots. Interestingly enough, it was in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ home floor, the same building where he broke his foot two years ago and caused him to miss 81 games in the 2017-18 season.
That hounding defense will continue being a force too. In the current steak, the Celtics are winning by an average margin of 11.5 points (112.8 to 101.3) and holding opponents to only 41.9% shooting.
PREDICTION:
The Celtics win by showing off that classic all-around play on both ends.
It should be a fun battle, though, as the Spurs are a blue-collar team that can adjust their play to various styles. Look out for San Antonio’s three young guys too – shooter Bryn Forbes, two-way player Derrick White, and versatile big guard Dejounte Murray.
