The Celtics are hosting the Hawks on Monday night at the TD Garden with hopes of avenging Friday night's eight-point loss at Philips Arena. They'll be looking to ride some momentum from Sunday's wire-to-wire win in Toronto.
When and Where
Monday, Jan. 11, 7:30 p.m. ET (CSNE)
TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Records
Celtics (26-9, first place in Atlantic Division, second place in Eastern Conference)
Hawks (23-13, second place in Southeast Division, fourth place in Eastern Conference)
Head to Head
The Hawks have gotten the better of the Celtics this season, beating the Green in Boston in November and in Atlanta just three days ago. Things have certainly changed since December of 2008, when Kevin Garnett declared that the Celtics and Hawks did not have a rivalry.
"This is not a rivalry," Garnett said after the C's squeaked by with a three-point win last season. "[The Hawks] are a very good team, they play with a lot of confidence and swagger. Joe Johnson is one of the best in the business and they cause a lot of hell and havoc. But you have to win for it to be a rivalry."
Now, the Hawks are winning, and the Celtics need a victory to reassert their power — not just to their opponents, but also to themselves.
Skinny
The Celtics enter Monday's game on the heels of a solid road win on Sunday, while the Hawks were drubbed by the Magic last time out in a 113-81 loss on Saturday. The Hawks will be using Monday night's game as a test to see how they can respond on the road.
"When you go out on the road, I've always said, you've got to play perfect basketball," he told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "Especially the top teams. You're not going to go in there and beat top teams playing the way we played [on Saturday]. It just doesn't work like that."
Meanwhile, the Celtics are happy with their performance on Sunday and hope to maintain a consistent level of play.
“We showed on film that we needed to drive and keep the ball in the paint," head coach Doc Rivers told the Boston Herald. "Then we got the 3 after that. And that’s our premise: If you get some inside, all of a sudden everybody shrinks and you get the 3’s. I thought us starting down low with drives and posts led to the Rasheed [Wallace] 3’s, the Ray [Allen]3’s and the Eddie [House] 3’s.”
Starting Lineups
Celtics
Point guard: Rajon Rondo
Shooting guard: Ray Allen
Small forward: Paul Pierce
Power forward: Rasheed Wallace
Center: Kendrick Perkins
Hawks
Point guard: Mike Bibby
Shooting guard: Joe Johnson
Small forward: Marvin Williams
Power forward: Josh Smith
Center: Al Horford
Stat Sheet
Celtics
Rasheed Wallace scored a season-high 29 points on Sunday, knocking down 9-of-12 shots from the field, including five of seven 3-point attempts. He was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line and chipped in with eight rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Wallace has now scored in double-digits for four straight games — his longest such stretch of the season.
Rajon Rondo had a triple-double on Sunday, his first of the season. The point guard finished with 22 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds. He also had four steals, bringing his league-leading total to 87. Golden State's Monta Ellis is second with 79 and Kobe Bryant is third with 72.
Ray Allen was just 1-of-5 from 3-point range on Sunday, bringing his 3-point percentage to 35.5 percent on the year. That currently stands as his worst mark for a full season in his career.
Eddie House hit three of his nine attempts from beyond the arc, bringing his percentage to 37.8 percent. He is a career 39.4 percent shooter from 3-point range.
The Celtics were on target from the charity stripe on Sunday. Though Kendrick Perkins had a 4-for-10 day at the line, the rest of the Celtics' starters were nearly perfect. Paul Pierce hit all seven of his attempts, Wallace hit all six of his, and Allen and Rondo combined to go 6-for-9.
Hawks
Despite their strong record, the Hawks are a mediocre 9-9 on the road this season.
Joe Johnson averages 20.8 points per game, putting him tied for 11th in the NBA.
Al Horford shoots 59.4 percent from the field, which is fourth-best in the NBA. Horford also leads the team in rebounding with 9.8 per game.
Mike Bibby is the Hawks' best 3-point shooter with a 41.1 percentage from deep.
Atlanta is fifth in the NBA with a plus-5.6 point differential.
The Hawks shoot 45.6 from the floor on the road, while shooting a slightly better 48.5 percent at home.
Black and Blue
Celtics
Kevin Garnett is still out indefinitely with a knee issue.
Eddie House and Tony Allen each missed time last week due to a stomach virus, but both are back in the lineup.
Paul Pierce has returned from a minor knee procedure to play three solid games. Monday night's game will be his first back-to-back appearances since returning.
Marquis Daniels is recovering from thumb surgery and is out until at least February.
Hawks
The Hawks are healthy, something that can't be said for most teams in January.
This Date in Celtics History
On Jan. 11, 2004, the Celtics beat the Houston Rockets 97-93 for their first win against a Texas team since 2000. Paul Pierce leads the C's with 27 points, while Walter McCarty and Jiri Welsch each contributed 21 points.
Overheard
"I think that’s the 1 o’clock start more than anything. What the hell’s wrong with these Canadians? What the hell’s wrong with you guys? Don’t you sleep on Sunday?"
–Doc Rivers, in the Boston Herald, when asked about the raspy voices of his players on Sunday
Press Box
Celtics
Doc Rivers asked for some energy from Rajon Rondo on Sunday.
Rasheed Wallace has been an ideal "emergency plan" for the Celtics.
Rondo has been putting the team on his back as of late.
Hawks
The Magic dominated the Hawks.
The Hawks have lost three straight road games and five of their last seven.
Atlanta awaits the ruling on a protest.
NBA
Ron Artest needed a break on Sunday.
LeBron James led the retro-looking Cavs to victory.
DeShawn Stevenson paid tribute to his suspended teammate.
Outlook
A game in January can only be as important as a game in January, but both teams could really use a victory on Monday.
As silly as it may sound, the Celtics, playing without Garnett, have something to prove on a nightly basis. Particularly, they have to show they can bring a high energy level and a controlled focus on consecutive nights.
The Hawks are desperate for some consistency on the road, and Saturday's dismantling in Orlando should serve as extra motivation.
Of course, there's the recent history between the two teams that will only add to the competitive fire, so there's good reason to believe this one could come down to the final minute.
