Shaquille O’Neal Will Have Hands Full With Brook Lopez As Nets Visit TD Garden to Take on Celtics

Monday night was a reminder that when the Celtics are fired up, they're capable of great things.

They were steaming mad after losing a pair of very winnable games over the weekend, and they got revenge by ransacking the Atlanta Hawks on their home floor.

Now they've got to keep the momentum going.

The C's next take on the New Jersey Nets at the TD Garden, the first of four meetings this season with their divisional foes. It's time to find out whether the Celtics can stay motivated.

When and Where

Nets at Celtics
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 7:30 p.m. (CSNNE)
TD Garden, Boston, Mass.

Head to Head

This is the Celtics' first matchup with the Nets this season. As for last year, the Nets only won 12 games total, but one of them happened to be in Boston. The C's swept their first three meetings last season, but the Nets led from wire to wire in the fourth, getting 25 points from Brook Lopez and beating the C's 104-96 at the TD Garden. Wednesday night is another revenge game for the Celtics.

Key Matchup

Shaquille O'Neal vs. Brook Lopez
One guy is 38 years old, battling arthritis and struggling to string together several strong minutes at a time. The other is 22, coming into his own and just might be the next superstar big man in the NBA. It doesn't sound like a fair fight, but then again, you can never count Shaq out.

The Celtics' center has had an eye-popping couple of weeks since returning from injury, emerging as a major post scoring threat for a C's team that really needed one. Look for the Celtics to establish the post game early against Lopez and the Nets.

Starting Lineups

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

Nets
Point guard: Devin Harris
Shooting guard: Anthony Morrow
Small forward: Travis Outlaw
Power forward: Kris Humphries
Center: Brook Lopez

Stat Sheet

Celtics

• Shaquille O'Neal had 13 points and 11 rebounds in the Celtics' win Monday night over the Hawks. It was his first double-double in a Celtics uniform.
• Rajon Rondo still leads the NBA in assists (171), despite missing two games.
• Paul Pierce has averaged 22.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game against the Nets in his career.

Nets

• Brook Lopez had 32 points in the Nets' win Tuesday night over the Hawks, a season high. His career high in points is 37, achieved on March 26 against the Pistons.
• Kris Humphries leads the Nets in total rebounds (95) and defensive rebounds (69).
• Devin Harris has averaged 13.1 points, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game against the Celtics in his career.

Black and Blue

Celtics

• Rajon Rondo sat out Sunday and Monday's games with a strained left hamstring. He is questionable to return Wednesday.
• Jermaine O'Neal is out with a knee injury.
• Kendrick Perkins has a torn ACL and will be out until 2011.

Nets

• Troy Murphy is day-to-day with a sore right foot. He is questionable to return Wednesday.
• Quinton Ross is also questionable. He's nursing a strained left calf.

Outlook

The Nets are a young, inexperienced, disorganized mess of a team, but they still have a knack for putting it all together for the occasional surprising win. The Atlanta Hawks learned that Tuesday night, losing 107-101 in overtime at New Jersey, and the Celtics learned it with a shocking loss on their home floor last year.

You can't sleep on the Nets — they have just enough athletes and just enough deadly shooters to beat you if you let your guard down.