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Boston Celtics (14-11) at Toronto Raptors (8-19)
Friday, February 10
7:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #26 – Road Game #9
TV: CSNNE, TSN, NBA-LP 751
Radio:  WEEI, CJCL 
Air Canada Centre
Referees:   Bill Kennedy,  JT Orr, Violet Palmer 

The Celtics are coming off a tough OT loss to the Lakers and with travel and back to back, this could be a tough one for them, even though they have already beaten the Raptors 4 times this season - two in preseason and two in regular season. All but one of the games were played in Boston. 

The Celtics are 8-2 in their last 10 and after winning 5 in a row, they lost their last game.  The Raptors are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have lost their last 3.  The Celtics are 3-6 at home while the Celtics are 4-4 on the road.   The Celtics have won their last 3 games on the road, while the Raptors have lost 5 of their last 6 games at home.  

Both teams are dealing with unexpected injuries.   One of Toronto's key players, Jerryd Bayless, left their game on Wednesday with an ankle injury and didn't participate in their Thursday practice.  He is considered a game time decision.  Avery Bradley missed last night's game for the Celtics with a sore shoulder and is questionable for tonight for the Celtics.  Bradley was key in the Celtics last game with Rondo still out.  Sasha Pavlovic is also questionable with a sore wrist. 

This should be an easy game for the Celtics but with playing overtime last night and overnight travel,  they are going to have to put out the effort, which hopefully they will give, after a poor effort last night.  .  The game isn't going to win itself, in spite of the Raptors' poor record. 

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Los Angeles Lakers (14-11) at Boston Celtics (14-10)
Thursday, February 9
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #25, Home Game #17
TV:  TNT, TSN2
Radio:  WEEI, KSPN, ESPNR
TD Garden

Referees:   Derrick Stafford,  Marat Kogut,  Gary Zielinski 
When the schedule comes out, there are certain games that players and fans look for and circle.  This is one of the games that Celtics fans and players circle.  There is no question that this is a rivalry.  There is no love lost between these two franchises or their fans.

Last season they split the series 1-1.   It was on February 10 last season, against the Lakers, that Ray Allen broke Reggie Miller's 3 point record.  Thankfully Paul Pierce got his record out of the way in the last game so that won't be a distraction in this one.  In the two games last season, Pierce averaged 23.5 points and Ray averaged 20.5 points while on the Lakers side, Kobe averaged 32 points and Gasol 16.

The Celtics have won their last 5 games and 9 of their last 10.  The Lakers have lost their last two games and are 5-5 in their last 10 games.  The Lakers have struggled on the road, with just a 3-9 record away from the Staples Center.  The Celtics struggled early, but have been playing well of late, boasting a 10-6 record at home.  

Word out of this morning's shoot around was that all 15 players were present and participated.  For the Lakers, they expect their bench to get a big boost as Steve Blake returns from the rib injury that has kept him out for awhile.  Both teams should be as close to full strength as any team could be considering the age of their key players and the condensed schedule. 

There shouldn't be any lack of motivation in this game for either team and it should be a good game.  When these two teams meet up, there's just one thing to say, and that is Beat LA!!! 

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Charlotte Bobcats (3-21) at Boston Celtics (13-10)
Tuesday, February 7
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #24 Home Game #16
TV:  CSN-NE, SSO-CHA,  NBA-LP 753/754
Radio:  WEEI,  WPNZ
TD Garden 
Referees:  Jason Phillips,  Tony Brown,  Haywoode Workman
This is the first meeting between these two teams.  The Bobcats have lost 11 games in a row and with just 3 wins on the season, to say they are struggling is an understatement.  The Celtics have won their last 4 and 8 of their last 9 and are finally looking like a contender once again. 

There will be some drama in this game as Paul Pierce needs just 10 points to move past Larry Bird as the Celtics 2nd all time scorer. I'm sure that the fans, and maybe even Pierce himself, will be counting the points until he reaches that milestone.  Hopefully it won't derail the team's focus on getting the win. 

Defense has been the key for the Celtics,  who have the second-best scoring defense in the league at 86.7 points per game.  Since the Bobcats are only averaging 83 points per game, the Celtics should have no problem holding them to their average.  The key for the Celtics is to play their game and not play down to the competition. 

Last season, the Bobcats beat the Celtics in their last two meetings, holding them under 90 point in both games.   The three teams that the Bobcats beat this season are the Warriors, Knicks and Bucks (with Bogut).  They are capable of beating any team that takes them for granted and expects to win without putting out the effort.  The Celtics must play their game and play them tough regardless of their record.  

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Memphis Grizzlies (12-11) at Boston Celtics (12-10)
Sunday, February 5
12:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #23, Home Game #15
TV: NBA-TV,  CSN-NE, SSO-MEM,
Radio:  WEEI, WMFS
TD Garden
Referees:  Ken Mauer,  Sir Allen Conner,  Mark Lindsay

The Celtics welcome old friend Tony Allen and his Grizzlies to the Garden. The Celtics have faced 4 Western Conference foes this season and have lost to all 4 of them.  They have lost to the Suns, Thunder, Mavs and Hornets.  The Grizzlies will be their first western opponent since seeming to find their groove after the return of their Captain.

These two teams split the series last season with each team winning on the other's court.  The Grizzlies the same number of wins as the Celtics but have one more loss.  The Grizzlies are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are coming off a Friday night loss to the Thunder.  The Celtics are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have won 3 games in a row, including a tough grind out victory against the Knicks in their last game.  The Celtics are 8-6 at home while the Grizz are 5-8 on the road.

The Grizzlies will be missing Zach Randolph, which is a break for the Celtics.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that they will still have Marc Gasol, who will be a very tough matchup for an ailing Jermaine O'Neal (or KG and Chris Wilcox , if JO can't go).   Tony Allen will be covering Ray Allen, which is sure to limit Ray's easy looks.  This is a game that the Celtics can win as long as they come out focused and play hard.  They also can't forget their defense and rebounding.

With the news this morning that Brandon Bass is doubtful for this game with some sort of knee injury,  this game gets even tougher.  Jermaine's status is still questionable and if he can't go Chris Wilcox will probably get the start if he can't go.