The Houston Rockets wrap up their mini road trip tonight in Beantown against the Boston Celtics.
Houston has been off for two days while the Celtics are coming off a 1-point victory over the Sixers for Philly’s first loss on the season. At 3-3, Boston is probably where we expected them to be, as even without Jayson Tatum and a trusted frontcourt rotation, there’s enough talent on this team to compete every night. As a reminder, they just beat an undefeated team in their own building and also beat the Cavs by 20 before this game. They’re riding a 3-game winning streak, too. I know we expected the Celtics to have a down year or maybe even a tanking year (and that’s still on the table), but right now they’re playing like a team coached by Joe Mazzulla and isn’t used to losing.
Houston’s game in Boston last season was a big game for the team as it gave them confidence that they could hang with the best of the best. That win was sandwiched between two wins over the Cavs, who were rolling at the time too. And of course, that night in Boston sort of introduced the rest of the NBA audience to some kid named Amen.
Dorian Finney-Smith: OUT (ankle)
The Line (as of this post)
Looking ahead because we can
Monday night vs. Dallas Mavericks