Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
The Memphis Grizzlies (45-18) will face off against the Boston Celtics (26-36) tonight at 7:30 PM EST in Boston. The last time these two teams squared off back in November, the Grizzlies won handily by the score of 117-100. But that game was in many ways between two different teams. Jeff Green was on the Celtics at the time as was Rajon Rondo. In addition, Isaiah Thomas, now on the Celtics, was on the Suns.
Since this is the Grizzlies’ first game against the Celtics since acquiring Jeff Green and all those other moves, one cannot really use their previous meeting as any sort of barometer or gauge for what will happen tonight. What you can use as a barometer is the fact that the Grizzlies are healthy and have won 6 of their last 10 games while the Celtics are banged up while also having won 6 of their last 10 games.
The two major injuries for the Celtics is to their backcourt. Both Avery Bradley (elbow) and Isaiah Thomas (back/elbow) are questionable to play. If those guys are unable to go, odds are very low that the Celtics will be able to win even though they’ll be playing at home. If on the other hand both guys are able to play and be effective, than this could be a close game.
While I don’t yet know for sure what will happen regarding the health of Bradley and Thomas, I’ll say this as just my opinion: If there is any way they can play, they will. The Celtics are two games back of the Hornets for the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference and a home game against the Grizzlies is a game that they absolutely need to get. They have a home game against the Magic on Friday, so it’s possible that they could rest Thomas and Bradley and still win that game. But there is no way the Celtics win against the Grizzlies without them. The Grizzlies should be prepared to see both players tonight given the importance of this game for the Celtics.
As for what the Grizzlies need to do to secure the victory, they need to play good defense on the perimeter against Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas if they are playing. In addition, the Grizzlies need to make sure they dominate on the glass since the biggest advantage they have over this Celtics team is having the likes of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol in the paint. If they can get good production from them inside and prevent the Celtics from playing well on the perimeter, the Grizzlies will win. If on the other hand, the Grizzlies struggle inside and the Celtics’ backcourt excels, the Grizzlies could be in for a long night.
While this game is important for the Celtics, it is also important for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies currently are 5.5 games back of the Warriors for the #1 seed and 2 games up on the #3 seeded Rockets. Even with Thomas and Bradley playing, this is still a team that the Grizzlies should defeat. The Grizzlies have to win all their games against inferior opponents down the stretch to secure the #2 seed and have any shot at the #1 seed. In the Western Conference, there is no margin for error, which means there is no room for losses against teams like the Celtics.