The Rockets will be at relative full strength as they face the Celtics at 8 p.m. Saturday at TD Garden. Only two players were listed on their injury report in Fred VanVleet and Dorian Finney-Smith. VanVleet is expected to be out for the year with a torn right ACL. Finney-Smith hasn’t played this season as it’s unclear when he’ll be back on the court after left ankle surgery.
The Celtics injury report isn’t out yet because they played and beat the 76ers on Friday. But going into the Sixers game, only Jayson Tatum was listed as out with his Achilles injury. The Celtics didn’t seem to pick up any new injuries Friday, so they should also be at full strength for the Rockets game.
It’ll be a tough test for the Celtics with the visiting Rockets and ex-coach Ime Udoka in town. Houston is expected to be in the title hunt after trading for Kevin Durant this season. The Rockets are 2-2, winners of their last two games over the Nets and Raptors.
The Celtics are also on a hot streak as they’ve won three straight games after starting 0-3 on the season. Boston’s offense has come alive in this recent stretch, beating the Pelicans, Cavaliers and Sixers in that order this week.
Rebounding will be a major factor for this game. The Celtics struggled on the glass to start the year, but they’ve been formidable during their win streak. However, Steven Adams is going to be a problem on the glass as the Rockets are also a team with plenty of size.
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