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The Houston Rockets brought a lot of excitement to the team by signing Jeremy Lin and acquiring James Harden right before the season. Houston started out the season pretty well, but they have lost three of their last four games. The Boston Celtics have had a bit of an up and down start, but they currently sit at 12-9 on the year. The oddsmakers have the Rockets pegged as a small 2.5-point favorite in this one.

Game Favorite:

The Celtics have a bit of a new look this season. Ray Allen is now a member of the Heat, and Jason Terry and Jeff Green are both major contributors for Boston this year. The talent level is definitely there, but it seems like Boston still has a little ways to go when it comes to reaching the team chemistry level they have had over the past few years. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are slowing down a bit, but they are still the team’s top two scorers. Rajon Rondo is the team’s most important player, and when he is on this team is very dangerous.

Boston isn’t playing the lockdown defense that they used to play. In fact, they are 20th in the NBA in field goal percentage defense. The Celtics do have a lot more depth this year, which is helpful since their starters are getting some age on them. Guys like Leandro Barbosa, Courtney Lee, Jared Sullinger, and Chris Wilcox give the team quality minutes off the bench. Boston has played in a lot of close games this year, and three of the last seven games have gone into overtime.

Houston has changed the way they play this year. With Jeremy Lin at point guard and James Harden handling the ball much of the time, the Rockets have been pushing the tempo in a big way. Houston has averaged more possessions per game than any other team in the NBA this year. They are scoring 104.2 points per game, but they are also giving up 104.8 points per game (which is the worst mark in the NBA). James Harden is putting up 25 points per game this year, but his shooting percentage is only 43% from the floor. Jeremy Lin is shooting just under 40% from the floor. The Rockets need these guys to be more efficient from the floor.

Omer Asik has been a very nice acquisition for the Rockets. Asik leads the team in rebounding at 11.3 boards per game. He is also scoring 10.6 points per game. The Rockets aren’t quite as deep on the bench as the Celtics are. Houston has some talented youngsters like Terrence Jones and Marcus Morris, but those two aren’t quite ready to make a huge impact in the NBA just yet.

Prediction:

The Rockets like to push the pace, but their offense has been a little out of sorts lately. Boston won’t want a track meet here, so I’ll take the under.

Houston 101 Boston 99