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Boston Celtics vs. Houston Rockets
The Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets, the two teams with the second-best records in their respective NBA conferences, will meet at TD Garden on Tuesday in a matchup of top seeds.
This matchup features two teams who have convincingly won their past two games and will seek to continue their winning ways.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
On Saturday, the Boston Celtics faced the Dallas Mavericks to conclude a four-game road trip. After losing to the Los Angeles Lakers the day before, the team wasted no time getting back on track.
Joe Mazzulla's squad, in a rematch of the 2024 NBA championships, got off to a sluggish start and trailed by four points at the end of the first quarter. However, they stormed back to take command in the second quarter and eventually won 122-107.
All five Celtics starters contributed to the victory, with Jayson Tatum leading the team in scoring four points despite a problematic shooting performance (8-22 from the field).
With 46 games under their belts, the Celtics have a 32-14 record and are in strong contention to finish second in the Eastern Conference, one game behind the current leaders, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The defending NBA champions are looking to complete a season sweep of the Western Conference team that has lost eight of the past nine meetings against the Eastern Conference team they defeated earlier this year, 109-86.
Among the season's most exciting games so far, the Houston Rockets defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 135-131 on Sunday at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
With a score of 101 points after 36 minutes, Ime Udoka's squad dominated the first three-quarters of the game, building a commanding 17-point lead and withstanding a late comeback by the Cavaliers.
Amen Thompson scored 23 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists, enough for his second triple-double in his career. He was one of four Rockets in the starting five to score 20 points or more: Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, and Fred VanVleet.
The Rockets are 9-3 in their last 12 games since the new year, bouncing back after a disappointing end to 2024. However, they are still six games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, leading the Western Conference.
If Tuesday's visitors want to win their first game away from Boston in five years, they must unleash their best offensive performance. They're allowing only 0.1 more points per game than their next opponents.
Boston Celtics x Houston Rockets Team News
Jabari Smith Jr. will likely miss the next two games for the Houston Rockets as he recovers from a broken left hand.
The center N'Faly Dante was just recalled from the G-League team Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but he probably won't be ready for Tuesday's game.
Despite having a poor game against the Lakers, Derrick White scored 20 points for the 12th time this season; the 30-year-old should be watched.
After being selected to start in the next all-star game, Jayson Tatum will be eager to deliver for his team again.
Our Predictions
Halftime/fulltime: Boston Celtics/Boston Celtics @ 1.66 on Sky247.ng
This season, both clubs have been formidable. Thus, the outcome of Tuesday's matchup might go anyway. We are leaning toward the home team winning this much-anticipated match.
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