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Houston Rockets (2-2) at Boston Celtics (3-3)
Saturday, November 1, 2025
8:00 PM ET
Regular Season Game #7, Home Game #3
TV: NBCSB, Space City Home Network, NBA-LP
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, KBME 790 AM
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups Point Guard 
vs
Derrick White vs Amen Thompson
Shooting Guard 
vs
Payton Pritchard vs Josh Okogie
Small Forward 
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Kevin Durant
Power Forward 
vs
Josh Minott vs Jabari Smith, Jr
Center 
vs
Neemias Queta vs Alperen Sengun
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Chris Boucher
Xavier Tillman
Jordan Walsh
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Sam Hauser
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Rockets Reserves Aaron Holiday
Jae'sean Tate
Steven Adams
Reed Sheppard
Tari Eason
Clint Capela
Jeff Green
Two Way Players Kevon Harris
JD Davison
Isaiah Crawford
Injuries/Out Fred VanVleet (ACL) out
Dorian Finney-Smith (ankle) out
Head Coach Ime Udoka
Game Notes The Celtics host the Houston Rockets for the first of 2 meetings between these two teams this season. They will meet again in Houston on February 4. They split the series 1-1 last season, with each team winning on the road. The Celtics are 98-57 against the Rockets overall, all time. They are 49-22 in games played in Boston.
The Rockets made some significant changes since last season. Their biggest change was a trade that brought Kevin Durant and Clint Capela to Houston in exchange for Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and the 10th pick in the draft. They also signed Dorian Finney-Smith and Josh Okogie as free agents. They also brought in JD Davison as a 2-way player.
After this game at home against Houston, the Celtics will then play Utah and Washington at home before a 3 game road trip including 2 games in Orlando and one at Philadelphia. One of those games in Orlando will be the second NBA Cup game. Then they have 2 games at home against Memphis and the LA Clippers. Then it is one game on the road at Brooklyn before playing Brooklyn, Orlando, and Detroit at home.
The Rockets return home to play Dallas after this game. They then play 3 games on the road against Memphis, San Antonio, and Milwaukee. They return home for 3 games against Washington, Portland, and Orlando. Then it's one game on the road at Cleveland and one game at home against Denver before a 4 game road trip through Phoenix, Golden State, and two games in Utah.
As of right now, Jayson Tatum is the only player on the Celtics injury list as he rehabs from the Achilles tear he suffered in the playoffs. For the Rockets, Dorian Finney-Smith has been out of action since training camp while he recovers from offseason left ankle surgeryand will miss this game. Fred VanVleet is out for the season after tearing his ACL in an off season workout in the Bahamas.
I'm guessing that the Celtics will go with the same starting lineup that they have used in the last 3 games that includes Josh Minott. They won all 3 games that he has started. I'm including the big starting lineup that the Rockets used in their last game. It includes 4 starters who are 6'7 or above and one that is 6'4.
Key Matchups vs
Jaylen Brown vs Kevin Durant
This should be a good matchup. Durant is averaging 27.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block. He is shooting 52.2% from the field and 36.8% from beyond the arc. Brown is averaging 27.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists while shooting 55% from the field and 48.7% from beyond the arc. Of course, Durant has a height advantage, which could come into play.
vs
Neemias Queta vs Alperen Sengun
Sengun is averaging 23.8 points, 8 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 2 steals per game while shooting 49.2% from the field and 57.1% on threes. The Celtics need to defend him well and box out on rebounds if they want to win this game.
Honorable Mention Payton Pritchard vs Amen Thompson
Thompson is averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1 steal per game. He is shooting 45.8% from the field with no 3 pointers. At 6'7" he has a height advantage over Payton Pritchard but hopefully, Pritchard can use his speed and ball handling to get around him.
Keys to the Game Defense - As always, defense is a key to winning this, and every, game. The Celtics were second in the preseason with a defensive rating of 100.2. The Celtics are 8th with a defensive rating of 111.2. The Rockets are 20th with a defensive rating of 116.0. The Rockets lead the league, averaging 127.8 points per game The Celtics must play tough lock down defense in this game if they want to beat the Rockets.
Rebound - Rebounding may be the biggest key to winning right now since the Celtics lost their first 3 games largely because they weren't able to rebound. The Celtics averaged 39.0 in their first 3 games and they lost those 3 games. They have bounced back to out-rebound their opponents in the last 3 games, which were all wins. They simply have to fight harder to grab rebounds than the Rockets, especially since the Rockets have so much size. Much of rebounding is effort as evidenced by Payton Pritchard grabbing 10 rebounds against the Pistons. Every Celtic has got to crash the boards and fight for every rebound.
Consistency - The Celtics were able to build a lead in their first 3 games. They led by 13 against the 76ers, 8 against the Knicks and 17 against the Pistons . However, they weren't able to keep or build on those leads. On Friday, the Celtics built a 24 point lead but won by just 1 point. They need to play well on both ends of the court for all 4 quarters and not allow the Rockets to build a lead or to overcome a Celtics' lead. The Celtics know how to play to win, but they have to play that way consistently and not just for 1 or 2 quarters.
Effort and Energy - In their past 3 games, the Celtics played harder and with more energy than their opponents. That has to be their identity this season. They have to play harder on defense. They have to rebound harder. They have to play with energy and extra effort for every possession. They can't allow the Rockets to play harder than them and have to play with more energy.
X-Factors At Home and Fatigue - The Celtics are at home where they are 1-1 so far. The Celtics have the crowd behind them and if they give a good effort, the fans will cheer them on and help to motivate them. However, they are playing on the second night of back to back games and are already playing their 7th game while the Rockets are just playing in their 5th game and have not played since Wednesday so fatigue may come into play.
Coaching - The Rockets are led by former Celtics coach Ime Udoka, who left Boston under less than desirable circumstances. He was suspended for violating team rules and assistant coach Joe Mazzulla was made interim coach. Eventually, Udoka was officially released and Mazzulla was made head coach. I am sure that Udoka would love nothing more than to beat the team that let him go after he led that team to the Finals.
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game differently. Some call it tight and call every bit of contact while others allow more physical play. Some favor the home team while others call both sides evenly. The Celtics have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game and not allow the no calls and bad calls to affect their focus on playing the game.
Topic: Rockets (2-2) at Celtics (3-3) Game #7 11/1/25 (Read 240 times)