Boston Celtics vs San Antonio Spurs: Match Preview and Prediction - 9th November 2019
Match details
Fixture: Boston Celtics vs San Antonio Spurs
Date and time: Saturday, 9 November 2019, 05:00 PM ET
Venue: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
Last game results
Boston Celtics (6-1): 108-87 win against the Charlotte Hornets (7th November, Thursday)
San Antonio Spurs (5-3): 121-112 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder (7th November, Thursday)
Boston Celtics Preview
The Boston Celtics are at the top of the table. After watching them lose their season-opener game against the Philadelphia 76ers, I did not expect them to storm back the way they did, going on a six-game win streak.
Most importantly, two of their wins have come against conference rivals like Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks. They are the third-best defensive team in the league with a defensive rating of 100.0, only behind Utah Jazz (98.3) and Los Angeles Lakers (97.9).
Key Player - Kemba Walker
Kemba Walker has been the major reason for their success and has shown that he can lead the team as he is averaging 24.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. He had three straight games, including the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, with 30 or more points.
Walker, whose three-point shooting percentage over his career is just 35.8%, is shooting at a red-hot 41.3% from beyond the arc this season. This team can only go as deep as Walker takes them and so, it will be very important that he stays healthy throughout the season.
Celtics predicted lineup
Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker, Daniel Theis, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum
San Antonio Spurs Preview
The San Antonio Spurs are at the seventh spot in the western conference standings and things look just fine for the team. While the fans will be happy if the Spurs go deep in the playoffs, they do not have a lot of expectations from this team as of now.
Their wins so far have come against relatively weaker teams and therefore, it is yet to be seen how they will fare against some good playoffs contender teams. While they did play the two LA teams and lost both the matchups, the sample size is just too small to make any logical conclusions.
Key Player - LaMarcus Aldridge
The way LaMarcus Aldridge has been playing this year, there are high chances that he will make it to his eighth All-Star Game. I know that the All-Star weekend is still far away and it is very early to make predictions but that is how good he has been.
His mid-range has been money, for the most part, this season and in their win last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he dropped 39 points and led the Spurs home.
Spurs predicted lineup
DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Trey Lyles, Bryn Forbes, Dejounte Murray
Celtics vs Spurs match prediction
The Spurs play their best basketball at home and are a tough team to beat. However, the Celtics are one of the best defensive teams in the league and are looking unstoppable as a team. Coached by Brad Stevens, they are known for their defensive mindset and they will need that defense against a quality team like the Spurs.
The Spurs have not been so great on the defensive end (in fact, even their offense has not been stellar) and they are expected to have a tough time guarding Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum. I expect the Celtics to run away with the win.
Where to Watch Celtics vs Spurs?
The game will not be broadcast on national television but you can catch the local coverage of the game on NBC Sports Boston and FOX Sports Southwest. Additionally, you can also live stream the game via NBA League Pass.