BOSTON CELTICS (32-18) at HOUSTON ROCKETS (31-17)
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub
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Chris Boucher – OUT (personal reasons)
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Jaylen Brown – DOUBTFUL (left hamstring tightness, right knee soreness)
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Sam Hauser – OUT (right thumb strain)
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Anfernee Simons – OUT (personal reasons)
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Jayson Tatum – OUT (right Achilles repair)
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Amari Williams – OUT (G League, two-way)
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Steven Adams – OUT (left ankle surgery)
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Kevin Durant – PROBABLE (left ankle sprain)
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Dorian Finney-Smith – OUT (left ankle injury management)
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Tristen Newton – OUT (G League, two-way)
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Fred VanVleet – OUT (right knee ACL repair)
What to watch for: The Boston Celtics won’t have a lot of bodies on Wednesday night. Not only will it be the second night of a back-to-back (both road games), but they will be extremely short-handed.
Jaylen Brown is doubtful to suit up and Sam Hauser has already been ruled out. On top of that, the Celtics obviously don’t have Anfernee Simons, whose trade to the Chicago Bulls has yet to be made official, and Chris Boucher is still out for personal reasons.
Their game against the Houston Rockets projects to be a major uphill battle.
Tale of the tape: When the Rockets traveled to Boston on November 1, it was a similar situation—the Celtics were on the second night of a back-to-back, having played in Philadelphia the night prior.
It went as well as some may have expected. The Rockets won in blowout fashion, taking home a 128-101 victory.
Kevin Durant, who is probable for Wednesday night’s game, finished the game with 26 points, and six other Rockets reached double-figure scoring marks.
Last game: Boston picked up a relatively comfortable road victory against the Dallas Mavericks.
Brown and Payton Pritchard dominated the scoring column for the Celtics. And though Cooper Flagg ended the game with 36 points, it wasn’t enough, as Boston sent a ton of pressure at him in the half-court.
Standings check-in: The Celtics are still effectively tied with the New York Knicks for second place in the Eastern Conference, though their division rivals hold the tiebreaker.
Boston is still 5.5 games back of the Detroit Pistons, who still occupy first place. However, the Celtics are also 2.5 games ahead of the Toronto Raptors in fourth.
Rockets check-in: Houston has been on fire lately, having won three games in a row, and eight of their last 10. Those eight wins include victories over the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Durant has been Houston’s leading scorer lately. In his last nine games, he’s averaging 27.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting 50.0% from the floor and 45.3% from deep (7.1 three-point attempts.
Alperen Sengun, who was snubbed from the All-Star team, has been right behind him. In his last 10, he’s averaged 21.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 5.7 assists on 48.0% shooting from the field.
Amen Thompson has also been great, putting up 16.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.0 blocks in his last 10.
One fun play: Hugo Gonzalez is 19 years old and already one of the most impressive defenders in the NBA. Just watch the way he moves on this play.
He was guarding Naji Marshall, who was still in the backcourt, but when Jaden Hardy found some space in the mid-range thanks to a screen, he sprinted all the way back to stop him.
Then, after Derrick White bit on a pass-fake, Gonzalez seamlessly switched back onto Marshall. The Mavs forward bumped him, but Gonzalez still found a way to bounce right back and contest Marshall’s shot perfectly.
