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Game 65: Houston Rockets At Boston Celtics Preview

By Brian K. Patterson

Nov 16, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) dribbles against Boston Celtics center Jared Sullinger (7) in the second half at Toyota Center. Celtics won 111 to 95. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) dribbles against Boston Celtics center Jared Sullinger (7) in the second half at Toyota Center. Celtics won 111 to 95. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Houston Rockets are rolling right along through this road trip with them luckily being able to beat the Philadelphia 76ers quite well.

I had worried about this match up because, as you may recall, the Rockets took their meeting down to the wire but they were able to defeat them earlier this season, thanks to some heroics by Dwight Howard.

At least they’re taking care of business against the run of litter in the NBA, which is all that I can ask.

But as we fast-forward to tonight, it won’t be easy as the Rockets will face the 39-26 Boston Celtics.

This team has transformed into the image of the brainchild of Brad Stevens and all members of this team are bona-fide believers.

They hustle, they play defense and are smart about finding the open man.

These are a lot of the things that I’ve chided the Rockets for this season.

If the Rox aren’t doing those things tonight, you might as well add another tally to the right column because the Celtics love to feast on weaknesses like this team has.

Nonetheless, it will hopefully be a good meeting tonight and I’m sure they won’t disappoint.

So who’s leading the charge for the Celtics?

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Isaiah Thomas is the leading scorer (21.8 PPG) and assist man (6.6 APG).  Jared Sullinger is the team’s top board-getter (8.7 RPG) and Jae Crowder is the steals king (1.80 SPG).  Amir Johnson is the premier shot-blocker (1.00 BPG).

Let’s talk about what the Celtics do well.

They’re balanced on both ends of the floor.  The Celtics are ranked 4th in the NBA as far as defensive efficiency, allowing 100.1 points per 100 possessions.  They’re also 10th in the league in terms of offensive efficiency, putting up 104 points per 100 possessions.

They’re good at finding the open man.  The Celtics are tied for 5th — with the Sacramento Kings — in the NBA in terms of assist ratio, with 17.8 percent of their possessions ending with an assist.

They take care of the basketball.  The Celtics are ranked 6th in turnover ration with a stingy 12.2 percent of their possessions ending in a turnover.

Injuries:

There are no injuries to report for the Houston Rockets.

Kelly Olynyk has been dealing with a shoulder injury for quite a spell and has missed time as a result.  He has been ruled as QUESTIONABLE for tonight.

Source:  Boston Celtics

Three Things to Watch:

  1. Patrick Beverley vs. Isaiah Thomas
  2. Dwight Howard vs. Jared Sullinger
  3. James Harden vs. Avery Bradley
  4. (Bonus)  Trevor Ariza vs. Jae Crowder

Prediction:

107-102 in a Rockets’ loss.

The Rockets continue their five-game road trip to take on the Celtics at TD Garden.

Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST.

The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME) and La Ranchera 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets!

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