The Boston Celtics (24-10) welcome the Houston Rockets (10-23) into the city for the first time this season as both teams have some momentum to build on heading into this game.

Let’s “open up the files” on the 35th game of the season vs the Rockets.

To start, the Rockets will be in the second night of a back-to-back after defeating the Chicago Bulls to a sweet tune of 133-points on the shooting nights of Kevin Porter Jr and Jalen Green, who both hit six 3-pointers.

What I saw in Houston’s last game was the ball and player movement was high and they benefited from it, finishing with 28 assists on 50 made shots and 45 rebounds in total.

The Celtics, on the other hand, are coming off a dominant performance over the Milwaukee Bucks on Christmas Day, the “measurement game” that saw Boston score 139-points, their second-highest of the season.

Jaylen Brown has been Boston’s spark plug in the fourth quarter. His relentlessness allows the team to get off to a fast start and position the Celtics to better hold a lead or regain one to win the game.

Jayson Tatum is still a front runner for MVP and is proving why he deserves it on a nightly basis. His hit-list continues to grow this season while the Celtics ascend in the league rankings. 

What I think could give Boston problems is Houston big man Alperen Sengun. He scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and dished six dimes while being guarded by Nikola Vucevic.

This will be a fun game, but not one that should be taken lightly. The last time that happened, the Celtics dropped two in a two to the Orlando Magic.

The Celtics and Rockets tip-off at 7:30 PM tonight at the TD Garden.

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