The Boston Celtics (47-21, 36-31-1 ATS) take on the Houston Rockets (15-52, 25-39-3 ATS) in the second game of their east-to-west road trip. Boston has won two in a row, most recently taking down the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night. Houston has lost two straight, and only has five wins since the start of the new year. This is the the second matchup this season between these two teams, the first one coming on December 27 in Boston. According to online sports book FanDuel, the Celtics are 12.5-point favorites.
Point Spread: Boston Celtics -11.5
O/U: 231.5 points
ML: Boston Celtics -750, Houston Rockets +530
Robert Williams III (hamstring) will miss yet another game for Boston. However, he says he’s nearing a return, and is with the team on the road. Payton Pritchard (heel) is also out, missing his third straight game.
The Rockets should be fully healthy for tonight. Alperen Sengün (groin) is listed as day-to-day, but will most likely play.
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Derrick White
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Al Horford
PG: Daishen Nix
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Kenyon Martin Jr.
PF: Jabari Smith Jr.
C: Alperen Sengün
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Celtics played a complete 48 minutes against Atlanta, kicking off the long road trip with a win. A big reason why they were so successful was the ball movement. All night, the Celtics eliminated stagnation and set up good, catch and shoot looks from the perimeter, leading to a strong three-point shooting night (47.6%) on 42 attempts. The Rockets are abysmal at defending the three, so if the Celtics aren’t settling for pull up jumpers and instead move the ball with a purpose, this may be the game where they reestablish some rhythm from distance.
Last time the Celtics matched up against the Rockets, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown cruised to 77 combined points in a 24-point blowout. Houston has not improved much since then. The key for the Celtics tonight is locking in and maintaining focus against a much lesser opponent. They’ve had issues letting these types of games get closer than they need to be, most recently happening against the Pacers and Pistons. If they come out playing hard and don’t let up in the second half, this game should be light work.
Everyone knew the team wouldn’t be good this year, but the Rockets have still defied expectations. Houston struggles mightily on both ends, giving up 118.5 points per game while struggling to generate consistent offense with an iso-heavy system under Stephen Silas. To have any type of chance tonight, the Rockets need to put together a highly out-of-character performance in almost all areas, especially shooting the three and moving the ball around.
Houston fans will also be hoping for another big night from rookie Jabari Smith Jr. The forward out of Auburn has had a tough time adjusting to the NBA, but he may be starting to put it together. Last week, he posted 20 points and 10 rebounds against Indiana and a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds against Chicago. He’s also improved his three-point shooting, hitting at a clip of 45.5% from deep over his last five games. If he puts another strong effort forward tonight, Smith Jr. will show some consistency for the first time in his young career, something the Rockets front office desperately needs to see from the third overall pick.
It’s not a question of who will win, just how much will they win by. The Celtics occasionally let these types of games get too close, but after winning the last two, I think they’re starting to rebound in a big way from the three-game losing streak. This one should be all Celtics tonight.
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