Watch the Celtics take on the Warriors in the early hours of Saturday morning (3:30am), live on Sky Sports Arena
Saturday 16 November 2019 05:33, UK
The rolling Boston Celtics will play the ailing Golden State Warriors, pitting the teams with the best and worst records in the NBA against each other.
Led by newly acquired point guard Kemba Walker (25.0 PPG), the Celtics have won nine in a row and look to continue their hot streak against the injury-ravaged Warriors.
The defending Western Conference champions will again operate without Stephen Curry (left hand fracture), Klay Thompson (left ACL rehab) and Kevon Looney (neuropathy), while the Celtics lost Gordon Hayward to a broken hand sustained on Saturday. The former All Star is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.
The Celtics are coming off a 140-point outburst against the Washington Wizards, their highest point total in 27 years. Boston posted a balanced attack that featured 25 points from Walker, 23 from Jayson Tatum, 22 from Jaylen Brown and 18 from rookie Carsen Edwards.
The Warriors slumped to a 120-94 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in their last outing, despite keeping the game close in the first half. The undermanned Warriors were led by 21 points and eight assists from point guard D'Angelo Russell, who has assumed team leadership duties alongside veteran Draymond Green.
The Warriors and Celtics have split their season series dating back to the 2015-16 season. Last season each team claimed a victory on the other's home court.
Boston lead the league in offensive rating, averaging 116.1 points per game (seventh highest in the NBA). They field three players averaging close to or over 20 points per game.
The team leader in scoring is Walker (4.4 made treys), while Brown (20.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists) and Tatum (19.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists) are averaging career highs in scoring.
The Celtics also rank sixth in the league in blocks per game (6.5).
Watch Nets @ Bulls live on Sky Sports Arena on Saturday at 11pm
The Warriors defensive rating (117.5) is on pace to rank as one of the worst in league history, according to Basketball Reference.
Green is working his way back into the Warriors' line-up after an injury and suspension sidelined him for five games. In 28 minutes against the Lakers, Green posted just 10 points and one rebound, following a four-point, seven-rebound effort against the Utah Jazz.
Rookie Jordan Poole has been struggling offensively, averaging 9.8 points on just 28 per cent shooting from the floor.
The Celtics' Marcus Smart has picked up minutes from the injured Hayward, and is coming off back-to-back 17-point outings with four treys made in each game.
Warriors rookie Eric Paschall played the final two minutes of the third quarter against the Lakers, and confidently scored in a one-on-one drive against LeBron James.
In the last 10 days, Paschall has been aggressive with defenders including Utah's Rudy Gobert and Minnesota's Robert Covington.
Paschall said of his mindset: "I just can't be scared...That's one thing I always try to do is be aggressive."
