3rd Quarter Report
Down two at the end of the second quarter, the Celtics now have the lead. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Rockets 96-85.
If the Celtics keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 33-14 in no time. On the other hand, the Rockets will have to make due with a 30-15 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Houston Rockets @ Boston Celtics
Current Records: Houston 30-14, Boston 32-14
How To Watch
- When: Monday, January 27, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. ET
- Where: TD Garden — Boston, Massachusetts
- TV: NBC Sports Boston
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $67.00
What to Know
After four games on the road, the Celtics are heading back home. They will welcome the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. ET on Monday at TD Garden. Both have allowed few points on average, (the Celtics: 108.3, the Rockets: 108.4) so any points scored will be well earned.
Last Saturday, the Celtics strolled past the Mavericks with points to spare, taking the game 122-107. Boston pushed the score to 96-76 by the end of the third, a deficit Dallas cut but never quite recovered from.
The Celtics were working as a unit and finished the game with 33 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as the Mavericks only posted 18.
Meanwhile, the Rockets have relied on a stalwart defense averaging 108.36 points allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Saturday. They secured a 135-131 W over the Cavaliers. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
The Rockets can attribute much of their success to Amen Thompson, who dropped a triple-double on 23 points, 14 rebounds, and ten assists. That’s the most assists Thompson has posted since back in April of 2024.
Boston is on a roll lately: they’ve won three of their last four games, which provided a nice bump to their 32-14 record this season. As for Houston, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 30-14.
Looking ahead, the Celtics are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 6.5 points. This contest will be their 27th straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 11-15 against the spread).
The Celtics took their win against the Rockets in their previous matchup on January 3rd by a conclusive 109-86. Will the Celtics repeat their success, or do the Rockets have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Boston is a solid 6.5-point favorite against Houston, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 6.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 222 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Boston has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Houston.
- Jan 03, 2025 – Boston 109 vs. Houston 86
- Jan 21, 2024 – Boston 116 vs. Houston 107
- Jan 13, 2024 – Boston 145 vs. Houston 113
- Mar 13, 2023 – Houston 111 vs. Boston 109
- Dec 27, 2022 – Boston 126 vs. Houston 102
- Nov 22, 2021 – Boston 108 vs. Houston 90
- Oct 24, 2021 – Boston 107 vs. Houston 97
- Apr 02, 2021 – Boston 118 vs. Houston 102
- Mar 14, 2021 – Boston 134 vs. Houston 107
- Feb 29, 2020 – Houston 111 vs. Boston 110
