The Boston Celtics ended 2024 with a franchise record 54-point margin of victory over the Toronto Raptors, making it the largest ever at home.

Now to start the new calendar year, the Celtics have their toughest challenge ahead of them as they start the first four-game Western road trip of the month.

Although Boston is 11-3 on the road, this will be a tough stretch for them going up against some legitimate powerhouse teams that will be in the playoffs to contend for a title.

Let’s take a look at the four games Boston has on this road trip.

Minnesota Timberwolves (17-15)

On Thursday, the Celtics will play in the first night of a back-to-back and it’s poised to be a show against the Timberwolves. In their last matchup, Boston hosted and only won by two-points back on Nov. 24.

In their first matchup, Boston only used eight players. Kristaps Porzingis hadn’t made his season debut yet and the bench depth wasn’t running like the well-oiled machine that it is now.

With this game being the first night of a back-to-back, Joe Mazzulla and his staff will need to make a decision on the center position and it starts with knowing if Porzingis is going to be available or not and staggering the lineups of Horford and Porzingis since they’re both not playing in back-to-back games.

It’s worth mentioning that Porzingis ended the 2024 calendar year by missing the final three games with an ankle injury and he’s currently listed on the injury report as questionable for Thursday in Minnesota.

Boston will have their hands full with the trio of Anthony Edwards (24.8 PTS), Julius Randle (19.9 PTS), Rudy Gobert (10.4 PTS, 10.6 REB), and Nas Reid (12.4 PTS). It’s worth noting that Reid missed the game-winner back in the first matchup in Nov.

To match some of the size and physicality that Minnesota equips, I think this could be a big game for Neemias Queta, who didn’t play in the first matchup.

The Celtics have struggled with defending the paint and allow teams to score 49.7 points in the paint, which is good for the ninth-highest in the NBA.

That said, Minnesota scored 44 points in the paint the last time they played in Boston.

Tipoff is at 7:30 PM from the Target Center.

Houston Rockets (22-11)

The Rockets have been arguably the biggest surprise of the season so far and it has a lot to do with former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka and the culture he’s creating in Houston.

Udoka has the players bought in to the system he wants to run quickly, similarly in ways that he did in his one-and-done year in Boston.

The Rockets have won three of their last five games while competing to the very end of all of them. They took down the Raptors, Hornets, and Pelicans for three straight wins before losing the next two to the Timberwolves and Heat for a combined variance of only five-points.

At 22-11, sitting third in the West, Udoka has his young team operating well. The Rockets are the top rebounding team in the NBA with 49.3 per game.

This will be the second night of a back-to-back for Boston, so depending what happens on Thursday in Minnesota, the Celtics will plan accordingly. There’s a realistic possibility that Boston could be without both Horford and Porzingis on Friday.

If the Celtics are without both Horford and Porzingis in Houston, it’s going to be extremely challenging to come out victorious against that team.

Tipoff at 8:00 PM from the Toyota Center.

Oklahoma City Thunder (27-5)

At 27-5, OKC has a firm grasp on remaining in first place in the Western Conference. They’ve won their last seven games and are doing it all without Chet Holmgren who hasn’t played in two months due to a hip injury.

The Thunder are showing no signs of slowing down and they should be heading towards the NBA Finals if they continue on this pace.

If the Celtics can be at full health for this game, it would easily be the biggest test for both OKC and Boston and perhaps even a preview of the NBA Finals.

The Thunder have a handful of injuries on the report, but it doesn’t include many essential players outside of Holmgren and Alex Caruso, who is due to return before this game on Jan. 5.

It’s too early to know the status of Porzingis for this game. He’s missed the last three games and is currently still on the injury report with an ankle injury. Boston has two games before they go to OKC.

If available, Porzingis will play in Minnesota or Houston, not both. The next game after that is going to be in OKC. So we have to wait and see on Porzingis.

Boston will need Horford or Porzingis to play to defeat OKC. The floor space that they create is needed and can only be provided by them in the position group. The way it helps the team is invaluable.

Tipoff at 3:30 PM from the Paycom Center.

Denver Nuggets (19-13)

The Nuggets will always be a tough team to beat with Nikola Jokic on the team. He’s nearly averaging a triple-double for the season with 30.7 points, 13.0 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game.

Denver is currently fourth in the West and still finding ways to win built around Michael Porter Jr., Jamal Murray, and Jokic. In their last game, Jokic and Russell Westbrook both logged a triple-double.

They’re a tough veteran-led group that can’t be counted out with Jokic on the court. Jokic has a unguardable style of play, or so it seems, but it will be intriguing to see a Queta-Jokic battle in this game.

Queta is probably Boston’s most physical big man at this point in the season. He holds his own and can really battle down low under the basket. It should be a great matchup if we get to see it.

Last season, Boston lost both games against Denver by only eight-points combined. Jaylen Brown scored a game-high 41-points in the last game they played against Denver, going shot with Jokic but it still wasn’t enough to win.

Tipoff at 10:00 PM from the Ball Arena.

What’s Next?

On Thursday, Boston plays in Minnesota and then Houston on Friday. Then OKC on Sunday and Denver on Tuesday.

It’s worth keeping note of some of the lingering injuries that Boston entered 2025 with: Porzingis (ankle), Holiday (shoulder), Brown (shoulder), Hauser (back, ankle).

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Photo Credit: Brian Babineau, NBAE Getty Images