Houston Rockets vs Boston Celtics Prediction: Struggling Rockets take on imperious Celtics

The NBA Regular Season is in its closing stages and we have to see closely what teams are going to make it to either the Play-in tournament or the Playoffs first round automatically. But that is not the case for every squad, some squads have long gone away from contention while some others have been on top since the start. Two such examples are the Houston Rockets and the Boston Celtics which will meet here.

The Rockets come into this game after losing 111:119 against the Bulls despite a 20 points and 10 rebounds performance by Jabari Smith Jr. They have now lost 14 of their last 16 games and they have been struggling throughout the season. The Rockets have now lost 52 and won just 15 games, well on their way to the lottery. On a positive note during the last two games has been the play of Jabari Smith Jr. has scooped up 50 points in two matches. His offense has been under the question mark but he has shown some signs of improvement. Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green make for a superb backcourt whereas, in the middle, Alperen Sengun has shown tremendous promise. The upcoming draft is huge for Houston.

The Celtics enter the game after defeating the Hawks 134:125 as Jayson Tatum snagged 34 points to make it two wins in a row. The Celtics have four losses in seven games in a window they have once again seen a downturn. Still, thanks to a wondrous 21 wins and five losses, the team has soaked multiple losing streaks and is in a strong position with 47 wins and 21 losses. The Celtics are the second-best team in the East record-wise and have followed their last season’s Finals appearance with a strong response. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown form perhaps the best duo in the league, Tatum is averaging over 30 points while Jaylen over 26 points. The support system around them has been adequate foremost parts but because of the change of offensive style, the defense has taken a bit of a hit.

• Rockets: Game-Time Decision: Alperen Sengun;
• Celtics: OUT: Robert Williams III, Payton Pritchard, Danilo Gallinari.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Jayson Tatum(31+ Points), Jalen Green(22-29 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Jayson Tatum(10+ Rebounds), Jabari Smith Jr (10+ Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Jaylen Brown(5+ Assists), Marcus Smart(4+ Assists).

The Rockets are one of the most vulnerable teams in the league by a fair distance and they have been unable to lift themselves out of the turmoil at any point. The Celtics' play has its own fractures these days but they have such heavyweight combinations that they are able to bury teams more often than not. That’s why I favor the Celts to win big and predict a 131:113 scoreline in their favor.