The Houston Rockets (32-32) visit Boston to take on the Celtics (39-26) in what should be a fast-paced game. Action starts at 7:30 pm ET on Friday, Mar. 11 and can be seen on CNE and RSW.
The Celtics easily got past the Grizzlies 116-96 on Wednesday. Isaiah Thomas was the game’s leading scorer with 22 points on 7-for-18 shooting. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 118-104 win against the 76ers on Wednesday. Dwight Howard had a good performance, accumulating 21 points and 18 rebounds to claim his 30th double-double of the season.
Thomas has really been playing well recently for the Celtics, averaging 25.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers over the last five games. On the other side, the Rockets have their own duo that have been on a tear in that span. James Harden has averaged 34.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 2.2 three-pointers, while Howard has put up 19.2 points, 12.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 1.4 blocks.
There should be plenty of transition action in this game. The Celtics rank third in the league in possessions per game (101.9), while the Rockets are fourth (100.6). It could also be a mistake-prone game for the offense of the Rockets, which ranks 27th in ball security (turnover percentage of 15.4%). They’ll be going up against the ball-hawking defense of the Celtics, which forces the fourth-most turnovers in the NBA (15.8%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Celtics won the first game 111-95. Thomas scored a game-high 23 points.
The Celtics come into this game 39-26 Straight Up (SU) and 35-28-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 39-26 SU and 35-28-2 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Boston is one of the best passing teams in the league with an average of 24.6 assists per game. As for the Boston defense, teams really have to fight for open three-pointers against the Celtics, who have one of the best opponent three-point field goal percentages in the league at .327. Opponents have consistently had the ball stolen by the Celtics, who rank second in the league in steals per game with 9.5. If its opponents turn the ball over, Boston has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 18.7 points off turnovers, making them the fifth-best team in the league for that category.
On the other side, the Rockets have a record of 26-36-1 ATS and 31-32 SU. Houston has records of 31-32 SU and 26-36-1 ATS against the East. Houston is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, knocking down 21.0 shots from the line per game. Moving on to Houston’s defense, teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Rockets, who lead the league with 10.3 steals per game. Houston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fourth in points off turnovers with an average of 19.0 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Boston beat Houston, but the Rockets still lead the head-to-head record over the last 10, 7-3 SU. The Rockets also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos
Notes
“Boston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Boston is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 9 of Boston’s last 13 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games “.
“Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Boston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Boston’s last 5 games at home”.
“Boston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston”.
“Boston is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games when playing at home against Houston”.
Boston’s offense and Houston’s defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Boston puts up 0.0 points per game (ranked zeroth). Houston gives up 0.0 points per game, which is also ranked zeroth.
Boston and Houston are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Boston scores an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Houston allows 0.0 points per away game on average.
The Boston Celtics won their last game by 20 points. In games decided by a margin of 18 points or more, the Houston Rockets are 2-5. Boston is 10-3 in blowouts this season.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets are an outstanding 12-3. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Boston Celtics have a poor record of 5-11.
When the Houston Rockets allow at least 100 points they are 20-29, while the Boston Celtics are 34-15 when they reach the century mark.
The Celtics have a defensive rating of 100.7, fourth-best in the NBA. The Rockets also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 105.1 (ranked eighth).
The Houston Rockets average a field goal percentage of 44.5% this season. The Boston Celtics have a subpar record of 9-18 when opponents have a FG% of 44.5% or greater.
The Houston Rockets rank lower for their field goal percentage (19th) than their effective field goal percentage (eighth), while the Boston Celtics rank the same for both metrics (22nd).
On average, the Boston Celtics make 24.6 assists per game and the Houston Rockets make 21.7. Boston is ranked fifth, while Houston is ranked 18th.
Boston makes an average of 4.3 blocks per game (ranked 23rd). Houston ranks higher in blocks with 5.0 (ranked 14th).
The Boston Celtics are the fifth-ranked team in offensive rebounds, while the Houston Rockets are the seventh-ranked team in defensive rebounds.
Making 10.3 steals per game, Houston is ranked first in the NBA. Boston has a winning 13-6 record when it allows at least 10 steals.
