Game 54 Preview: Spurs at Celtics

Avery Bradley and Tony Parker will not suit up for tonight's matchup.

To begin, let's give a birthday shout-out to Bill Russell, who turns 80-years-old today.

Now, onto tonight's tilt between the Celtics (19-34) and the San Antonio Spurs (37-15).

This is the final matchup for this season between the two teams, and the C's final game before the All-Star break.

The Spurs will be without their All-Star point guard Tony Parker, starting center Tiago Splitter, starting small forward Kawhi Leonard and sixth man Manu Ginobili due to various injuries.

For the Celtics, they will be without Avery Bradley, who continues to battle a lingering ankle sprain.


Projected lineups:

Spurs:
Nando de Colo
Danny Green
Marco Belinelli
Aron Baynes
Tim Duncan

Celtics:
Rajon Rondo
Gerald Wallace
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass
Jared Sullinger

Keys to the game:

1. Keep it going: The C's have won four of five, and a win heading into the All-Star break would do this team a lot of good.

2. Sully vs. Duncan: This one's gonna be fun. Both Duncan, widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time, and Sullinger, one of the game's emerging stars, are playing at a very high level.