The Rockets wrap up a two-game East Coast road trip on Friday night in Boston. The Celtics (23-25) enter with back-to-back losses and seven in their past 10, so they should be very incentivized versus the rebuilding Rockets (13-34) to try and get a disappointing season back on track.
The Celtics came into the 2020-21 season with goals of contending, but they’re currently below .500 and in the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference — which would force them to win a play-in tournament game just to qualify for the playoffs. Needless to say, for a team led by an All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, that’s not where general manager Danny Ainge and head coach Brad Stevens expected to be.
Boston won convincingly last month in Houston, but the Rockets were without Christian Wood, Danuel House Jr., and John Wall in that game due to various injuries. Wood and House are expected to start Friday, while Wall is questionable with left knee effusion. Thus, even with the Rockets now in something of a rebuilding mode, they should be a tougher opponent for Boston than the version seen in mid-March. (At the time, Houston was in the middle of its historic 20-game losing streak.)
Wall did practice on Thursday, but head coach Stephen Silas indicated that he was operating at roughly three-quarters of his usual speed.
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The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
- Point spread: Rockets +10.5 (-110), Celtics -10.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Rockets +400/Celtics -550
- Over-under: 223.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
- Player O/U Scoring Props: Jayson Tatum 23.5 (-110 O, -115 U), Jaylen Brown 22.5 (-105 O, -130 U), Kemba Walker 18.5 (+100 O, -130 U), Marcus Smart 12.5 (-125 O, -110 U); Houston TBD
Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN, and WV at BetMGM.
Boston’s probable starters are Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Moritz Wagner. Meanwhile, Houston would like to start John Wall, Kevin Porter Jr., Danuel House Jr., Jae’Sean Tate and Christian Wood — but Wall’s playing status is up in the air. When Wall sat out in Brooklyn, Sterling Brown started in his place, with Porter taking on additional point guard and floor general duties.
In addition to Wall, Houston’s injury report includes Eric Gordon (groin), David Nwaba (wrist) and Dante Exum (calf), who all remain sidelined by longer-term injuries. For the Celtics, Tristan Thompson (health and safety protocols) and Semi Ojeleye (left side strain) are out.
Advice and prediction
The Rockets covered a large number on Wednesday in Brooklyn, and with a day of rest between games, there’s a good chance to do it again on Friday. They likely lack the starpower and late-game execution to actually win it, but don’t be surprised if it’s competitive in the fourth quarter.
Prediction: 112-105, Celtics
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