Preview: Celtics Hope to Get Back in Win Column Against Houston Rockets
Troy Taormina | Pool Photo via AP
The Celtics will look to bounce back tonight after a tough, 113-108 loss to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. They’ll face off against the new-look Houston Rockets tonight.
Since these two teams met the last time, the Rockets have had significant changes to their roster’s makeup. First and foremost, they traded away former All-Star Victor Oladipo for Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk. He was visibly upset with the team this year. Christian Wood is also back from injury and balling out for the Rockets again.
Wood leads the team in scoring this season with 21.2 points a night. He also averages a team-high 10.7 rebounds to go along with 1.4 assists and 1.5 blocks a game. John Wall has also been having a solid comeback season in Houston this year. He’s putting up 20.2 points and 6.8 rebounds a night. Another key contributor for the Rockets has been Kevin Porter Jr., who they traded for earlier this season. Porter Jr. is averaging 15.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists this year. Olynyk and Je’Sean Tate have also been scoring in the double-figures for Houston this season.
The Rockets currently sit at 13-34, which puts them at 14th in the Western Conference. They have lost eight of their last ten games yet are in a much better place versus the last time they faced off against the Celtics. When Boston blew them out earlier this season, Houston was amidst a massive 20-game losing streak.
Boston’s loss against Dallas continued a trend for them since the All-Star break. They get off to a decent start, go down by a lot in the second two quarters, and mount a big-time comeback in the fourth quarter. This gameplan worked against the Thunder, but Shai-Gilgeous Alexander was injured. The same game plan failed against the Pelicans and Mavericks because they had star players who executed down the stretch.
The Celtics’ defense has been lackluster this season, and Marcus Smart addressed that issue in his postgame interview after the last game. He was asked what the problem has been and responded with - ”I don't know. If I did, we wouldn't be here talking about it." The C’s currently rank 21st in defensive rating (112.2), which is right below the Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Chicago Bulls.
Robert Williams will return in this game after being a late scratch against Dallas with a non-COVID illness. Tristan Thompson, Semi Ojeleye, and Romeo Langford are all still listed as out. Langford was initially removed from the injury report but will remain sidelined for “post Health and Safety Protocols reconditioning.” Eric Gordon and David Nwaba are both out for Houston. Wall and Dante Exum are both listed as questionable.
Make sure to tune in to our live pregame show, the Banner Town Build Up, 30 minutes before the game on YouTube and Facebook @GuyBostonSports. The Celtics will tip-off against the Rockets at 7:30 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
