Celtics Need a Strong Start in Round 2 Matchup With Raptors

The Celtics earned a satisfying comeback win Wednesday night over the visiting Nets, but they’d surely trade it for a healthy season from Delonte West.

The C’s lost their valuable third guard to a broken wrist suffered Wednesday, and they’re now set to begin a long stretch of games without him. The C’s guard corps is depleted and demoralized, but they’ve got to get their act together in time for Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.

When and Where

Raptors at Celtics
Friday, Nov. 26, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE)
TD Garden, Boston, Mass.

Head to Head

This is the Celtics’ second matchup this season with the visiting Raptors — they lost the first at the buzzer, 102-101, as Paul Pierce missed the game-winning jumper. That defeat bucked a trend of the Celtics dominating the Raptors during the Big Three era — the C’s entered this season 11-1 against Toronto dating back to the summer of 2007.

Key Matchup

Kevin Garnett vs. Reggie Evans
Evans is an underrated part of what makes the Raptors go — his energy on the glass has been a huge factor for them this season. The Raps take a lot of jumpers, and they’re not the most efficient team offensively, but with Evans crashing the boards, they have lots of opportunities for second-chance points. KG will need to be physical with Evans down low. If he can win the rebounding battle, that’s a big step toward the C’s getting even for Sunday’s loss.

Starting Lineups

Celtics
Point guard: Nate Robinson
Shooting guard: Ray Allen
Small forward: Paul Pierce
Power forward: Kevin Garnett
Center: Shaquille O’Neal

Raptors
Point guard: Jose Calderon
Shooting guard: DeMar DeRozan
Small forward: Sonny Weems
Power forward: Reggie Evans
Center: Andrea Bargnani

Stat Sheet

Celtics 

• Shaquille O’Neal had 25 points and 11 rebounds in the Celtics’ win over the Nets on Wednesday night. It was his first 20-10 game since April 1, 2009.
• Nate Robinson is averaging 15.0 points, 5.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds per game in his three games as a starter.
• Ray Allen leads the Celtics in minutes played this season with 565, or 37.7 per game.

Raptors

• Amir Johnson had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the Raptors’ win over the Celtics on Sunday. It was his second double-double of the season.
• Reggie Evans ranks second in the NBA in offensive rebounds (62), fifth in defensive rebounds (114), and third in total rebounds (176).
• Andrea Bargnani is averaging 21.9 points per game this season, a career high.

Black and Blue

Celtics

• Rajon Rondo has missed the Celtics’ last three games with a strained left hamstring. He is unlikely to return Friday.
• Delonte West is out with a broken right wrist.
• Jermaine O’Neal is out with a knee injury.
• Kendrick Perkins has a torn ACL and will be out until 2011.

Raptors

• Leandro Barbosa returned against the Celtics on Sunday after missing six games with a strained left shoulder.
• Ed Davis underwent knee surgery in September and has yet to make his NBA debut. He is now in the D-League for a short rehab stint.

Outlook

The Celtics had a lot of problems last time they faced the Raptors, last Sunday. They got lazy early on, settling for too many jumpers. They put the Raptors at the free-throw line about two quadrillion times. They had no plan defensively, especially against Andrea Bargnani who flat-out killed them. The C’s have a lot of things to figure out before round two with the Raps — but if they can shake off the post-Turkey Day tryptophan and wake up for Friday, things might be easier the second time around.