Preview: Boston perspective on the Saturday showdown vs. Rockets

The Rockets (38-20) and Celtics (41-17) are two of the NBA’s hottest teams, with Houston having won eight of 10 games and Boston 11 of 13.

The Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics enter Saturday’s primetime showdown as two of the hottest teams in basketball.

The Rockets (38-20) have won five straight games and eight of 10. The Celtics (41-17) have won 11 of 13, with one of the only two losses in Houston on Feb. 11. Both are in the top four of their conference, and it’s not implausible that it’s an eventual NBA Finals preview.

It’s a game worthy of the NBA’s Saturday showcase, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Central time from TD Garden in Boston.

From Houston’s side, winning on the road — even with two 2020 All-Stars and former MVPs in James Harden and Russell Westbrook leading the way — will be much more challenging than the previous win at home.

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To get some outside perspective on the matchup, we caught up with Justin Quinn — managing editor of our sister site, Celtics Wire — for a Q&A to see what’s been going on in Boston since the last matchup.

So, what’s changed with the Boston Celtics since they last faced the Houston Rockets?

The same thing that’s happened with the Rockets, if we’re being honest. Both teams have played some of their best basketball of the season since the Celtics dropped their first go at the new-look “Pocket” Rockets, and Boston against some of the best teams in the league.

They beat the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz with a narrow loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in addition to wins over the Minnesota Timberwolves and Portland Trailblazers. It should also be said that much of the impetus driving those victories was due to the emergence of third-year swingman Jayson Tatum as an elite player on both ends of the court.

Tatum’s offense, in particular, has risen to another level since his first All-Star nod, evidently the confidence boost needed to trigger the Duke product’s scoring explosion. He’s averaged 35.4 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists per game while shooting a ludicrous 57.5 % from the floor and 54.8 % from 3-point range since Boston last played Houston.

At the same time, fourth-year shooting guard Jaylen Brown has been averaging 22.3 points and 6.75 rebounds per game while shooting a nearly-as-impressive 48.3 % overall and 41.5 % from deep over the same stretch. Center Daniel Theis has also come alive with an average of 15.8 points and 9.2 boards per contest since the loss to the Rockets.

Even more impressive is that they have won four of the five games they’ve played in that stretch without guard Kemba Walker, who has been nursing a sore, swollen knee since playing in the 2020 NBA All-Star game.

Put it all together, and you have a compelling case for Boston as the East’s second-best team behind juggernaut Milwaukee, and — like Houston — they seem to have cemented true contender status as a result.

How does each team win, in light of what Boston saw last time and the steps the Celtics have taken themselves?

That’s the million-dollar question in the NBA right now, and I’d be lying to your readers if I said I have the answer. However, after re-watching the game, I do have a few ideas.

Treating guard Russell Westbrook like a small-ball center ought to help, and Theis is among the better-equipped bigs in the league to do it, if he can stay out of foul trouble — more on that, shortly.

Similarly, defending Robert Covington like a wing, even if he is technically the center, is equally a good place to start. 

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In the last meeting between the two teams, wings primarily covered Westbrook, leaving Covington wide open on a number of players. I suspect reversing the approach used in the last meeting ought to help, but the biggest thing the Celtics can do to improve their fortunes is to foul less — and get to the line more. Boston’s 25 trips to Houston’s 42 in their last meeting may have been as decisive as any advantage that could have been had with a shift in defensive schema.

For the Rockets, I think it’s just to keep rolling with what worked last time, at least until it doesn’t. And if it doesn’t, it’ll likely be due to Tatum’s increased willingness and success at attacking the cup. For that, the best I can offer is the aggressive doubling that took the Missouri native out of his game against the Lakers.

What else should we know about the Celtics since the teams last met?

The bench has been showing signs of life lately with Enes Kanter and particularly Brad Wanamaker adding some modest scoring off the bench in recent games. Wanamaker in particular has been shockingly accurate, leading the NBA in both catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage and free throw percentage. Luckily for Houston, he’s not averaging more than two of either shot per game — yet.

(For Houston perspective on the matchup for Boston readers, check out the Celtics Wire preview.)

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