The Boston Celtics survived the first test of what may be the hardest stretch of their season, having beat the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road Sunday ahead of their meeting with the Houston Rockets.

They may not be so lucky against the new-look Rockets, however, if they play like they did against the NBA’s No. 2 team in terms of wins and losses, the Los Angeles Lakers, who lost to the East Texas franchise 121-111 on Feb. 7.

But if Houston plays like they did when they lost to the third-worst team in the West — the Phoenix Suns — then Boston should make quick work of Robert Covington’s new team.

Which version of the Rockets should the Celtics expect?

To that end, we reached out to Ben DuBose, editor of our sister site Rockets Wire, to get up-to-date on everything Boston fans need to know about their favorite team’s Tuesday night opponent.

Halfcourt offenses since Jan. 15
(points per 100 possessions)

1. Raptors – 104.5
2. Bucks – 103.9
3. Thunder – 103.3
4. Clippers – 102.5
5. Blazers – 101.7
6. Pacers – 101.6
7. Mavericks – 101.2
8. Celtics – 100.4
9. Heat/Spurs – 100.3
11. Jazz – 100.1
12. Rockets – 99.2

— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) February 10, 2020

What should Boston Celtics fans know about the Houston Rockets’ season so far?

The Rockets are 33-20 and No. 5 in the West, but that record feels somewhat irrelevant at the moment based on their massive changes at the trade deadline.

Entering the deadline, the Rockets were 10-1 in games without starting center Clint Capela, with the small-ball style opening up more driving lanes for Russell Westbrook. That played a big role in their decision to move Capela in a deal for Robert Covington, who at 6-foot-7 is a lot more versatile defensively and brings you the benefit of floor spacing on offense, since he’s a solid 3-point shooter. The drawback, however, is the size gap.

They’re 1-2 in three games with Covington, though that’s misleading because of the nature of the games and opponents. Their loss Friday in Phoenix was the second game of a road back-to-back and their third in four nights, with Westbrook sitting out. They never had any legs. It was basically a schedule loss.

And the loss Sunday to Utah came on a crazy Bojan Bogdanovic 3-pointer over two defenders at the buzzer, all from nearly 30 feet away. The win came on the road versus the Lakers (39-12), who lead the West. So they’ve played better than the small-sample record might indicate.

What will it take for each team to win?

The big questions for the Rockets are 3-point shooting and rebounding. Since Dec. 16, Westbrook is averaging nearly 32 points per game on just under 50% shooting. He’s been consistently excellent, and he’s even better at getting to the rim now that there isn’t a traditional center to clog the paint. It’s the best he’s played since his 2016-17 MVP season.

The biggest variable is James Harden, who shot just 2-of-13 (15.4%) on 3-pointers in Sunday’s loss to Utah. In his last 16 games, Harden is shooting just 37.1% from the field and 27.8% on 3-pointers. Perhaps time off over the All-Star break will do him good.

The other primary question is rebounding. The upside of the small-ball Rockets is that it opens the floor for Westbrook. The downside, of course, is that they have less of a presence around the rim now that they’re starting 6-foot-5 P.J. Tucker at center. Against the Lakers, they only lost the rebounding battle by one, and they made 10 additional 3-pointers. Versus the Jazz, they were out-rebounded by 12, and both teams made the same number of 3-pointers.

Generally speaking, the storylines to watch are how the Rockets hold up on the glass, and if they make enough 3-pointers to overcome the potential shortfall due to their size.

One last key: Since the Rockets don’t have a center, they love to take advantage of mismatches on offense if they can force a center to pick up Westbrook or Harden on a switch. But the Celtics might be better positioned than most teams to take that away, given Boston’s wing depth and Brad Stevens’ ability to put together lineups without a center. In particular, Enes Kanter’s defensive limitations might make him a bad fit against the Rockets.

Is there anything else we should know about the Rockets?

They’re going to be without Eric Gordon due to a bruised shin, which is potentially a very big absence. He’s their third-leading scorer after Westbrook and Harden, and he’s important to help space the floor.

Gordon is also an underrated defensive player. He’s surprisingly strong for his size, and in the past, he’s given Donovan Mitchell a lot of problems. By contrast, in Sunday’s game, Mitchell repeatedly broke down Houston’s defense down the stretch because the Rockets couldn’t stop his dribble penetration.

Ben McLemore is a good shooter and will play more minutes in Gordon’s absence, but he’s nowhere near as strong, which hurts him on the defensive end. Against the Celtics, who have a lot of balance in their perimeter scoring with Tatum, Walker, Brown, and Hayward, that could be a problem. Austin Rivers is a far better defender than McLemore and might be a better fit for this matchup, but his shooting is much more inconsistent. Thus, how viable he is in Mike D’Antoni’s 3-point heavy system could depend on whether his jumper is falling.

Injury report: Jaylen Brown pushing through ankle injuries to play vs. Rockets https://t.co/DhLLqqQ4E2

— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) February 10, 2020

Apart from being without Eric Gordon — no small loss — Houston will only be without forward Bruno Caboclo (knee) for the first of two meetings for the traditional center-averse franchises.

The Celtics are making a strong move back towards having a mostly healthy roster as well, with only center Robert Williams III (hip) out and shooting guard Jaylen Brown listed as probable for the meeting with the Rockets.

The match should be a close one, but with Boston’s recent success and the Rockets struggling a bit as they sort out their new addition, the edge probably tilts slightly to the Celtics.

Most online sportsbooks agree, granting Boston a +3 spread.

Tip-off is at 9:30 pm ET on Tuesday, February 11th.

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