Boston Celtics vs Houston Rockets Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/24/2021

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Sunday, October 24, 2021

Venue:  Toyota Center, Houston, TX 

Where to Watch:  NBA TV

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Celtics -6, Rockets +6; Over/Under:  225.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Celtics -6, Rockets +6; Over/Under:  226 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Celtics -6, Rockets +6; Over/Under:  225.5 points

 

Boston Celtics:  0-2 (5th place, Atlantic Division)

Houston Rockets:  1-1 (2nd place, Southwest Division)

 

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Boston Celtics:  lost at home on Oct. 22 against the Toronto Raptors 115-83.

Houston Rockets:  won at home on Oct. 22 against the Oklahoma City Thunder 124-91.

 

 

 

The Celtics are coming into this game with a 0-2 record overall to start their season and they are 0-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. Their season has not started off on a good note with a loss to the New York Knicks in their season opener, that game going to double OT, and a loss in their home opener to the Raptors, losing that game by over 30 points on their own court. The offense did nothing for the Celtics in their last game as Jayson Tatum led the team in points with 18 along with 4 assists and 6 rebounds. The 2nd player in points on the team in that game was Josh Richardson with 12 points off the bench along with 0 assists and 3 rebounds. Al Horford tried to get involved in the offense with 11 points, 2 assists and 11 rebounds in that game but no one else on the team scored more than 10 points in that one. Marcus Smart led the team in assists with 5 while Horford led the team in rebounds with 11. Their offense is averaging 108.5 PPG in their first 2 games this season while their defense is allowing 126.5 PPG. The Celtics opened as an 8 point favorite in their last game and that line dropped about 1 point by the time the line closed while the point total opened at 221 and dropped to around 217 by the time that line closed. The Celtics did not cover the spread in that game and they lost straight up as a -300 favorite on the moneyline cashing a big +235 payout for the Raptors while the game stayed under the total with 198 total points.

 

 

The Rockets are coming into this NBA game with a 1-1 record overall to start their season off and they are 1-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They lost their first game of the season to the Minnesota Timberwolves by almost 20 points but they followed that one up with a big win in their home opener against the Thunder, winning that game by over 30 points. Christian Wood led the team in points in that game with29 along with 1 assist and 14 rebounds while Eric Gordon was 2nd on the team in points scoring 22 points off the bench along with 1 assist and 0 rebounds. Kevin Porter Jr. also had a nice game in that one with 20 points, 9 assists, and 3 rebounds. Porter Jr. led the team in assists in that game with 9 while Wood and Jae'Sean Tate both led the team in rebounds with 14 each. Their offense is averaging 115 PPG in their first 2 games this season while their defense is allowing their opponents to score 107.5 PPG on average. The Rockets opened as a 3 point favorite in that game and the line roughly stayed the same by the time the line closed while the point total opened at 225.5 and dropped to around 220 by the time that line closed. The Rockets covered the spread in that game winning by 33 points while the game stayed under the total with 215 total points. 

 

 

The Rockets are coming into this game as a 6 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rockets dominated in their home game against the Thunder but the Thunder are not a very good team this year. The Celtics have not been playing well in their first 2 games. They played so badly in their home opener at TD Garden on Friday night that they were booed the entire second half of the game and in the second quarter by their own fans. Their lineup is also a little banged up coming into this game with Jaylen Brown day-to-day with a knee injury and is questionable for this game on Sunday. The Rockets are 1-1 ATS this season and 1-0 ATS at home while the Celtics are 0-2 ATS and 0-1 ATS on the road. One of the best wagers to make in this game is on the Rockets to cover the spread here as they will be at home and have been playing much better in their games to start this regular season.

 

Celtics Rockets Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Sunday, October 24, 2021 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Celtics 124 Rockets 121.

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Boston Celtics: 66-78 ATS when the total is greater than or equal to 220. 565-597 ATS as a favorite. 171-192 ATS as a road favorite. 76-89 ATS against Southwest division opponents. 335-358 ATS in non-conference games.

Houston Rockets: 264-251 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 1045-1030 ATS in all games. 427-385 ATS as an underdog. 354-333 ATS in the first half of the season. 133-125 ATS against Atlantic division opponents. 364-327 ATS in non-conference games.

 

 

Boston Celtics:  J. Brown (SG) Ques Sun - Knee injury.

Houston Rockets:  G. Mathews (SG) Ques Sun - Personal. J. Wall (PG) Out indefinitely - Holdout.

 

 

Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum is one player to watch in this matchup. He is coming off of a game where he led the team in 18 points and he is 2nd on the team in rebounds per game this season. Brown may miss this game and if he does Tatum will need to carry the team here. If Brown plays he will still be a bit banged up so Tatum will need to step up in this game regardless and play better than he has been playing in their first 2 games.

 

Houston Rockets: Christian Wood is one player to watch in this contest. He leads his team in points per game and in rebounds per game this season. He is coming off of a game where he led his team in points almost scoring 30 in that game. He will be a big part of their offense in this game so look for him to lead the team here and have another great game.

 

 

"The one thing you can't stand as a coach is to get punked out there. They basically came out and punked us, outplayed us." - Ime Udoka on how his team played in their loss to the Raptors in their home opener as Boston fans booed the team throughout the game.

 

 

"We didn't really like how we started the first game, so we had an emphasis on starting strong, and we felt like we did that today. I knew I had to come out with energy, and I had to bring it. Before the game, everybody was fired up, and that's what you love to see." - Christian Wood on their win over the Thunder in their last game.

 

 

 

PG    Marcus Smart 

SG    Jaylen Brown

SF    Jayson Tatum

PF    Al Horford

C    Robert Williams III

 

PG     Kevin Porter Jr.

SG     Jalen Green

SF     Jae'Sean Tate

PF     Daniel Theis

C     Christian Wood

 

 

PPG: J. Brown (27.5)

APG: D. Schroder (6)

Reb/G: A. Horford (11)

 

PPG: C. Wood (23.5)

APG: K. Porter Jr. (6.5)

Reb/G: C. Wood (11.5)

 

Coaches:

Boston Celtics: Ime Udoka (1st season)

Houston Rockets: Stephen Silas (2nd season)