Houston Rockets (37-25) at Boston Celtics (38-25) Sunday, March 3, 2019 3:30 PM ET Regular Season Game #64, Home Game #34 TV: ABC Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 790 AM KBME TD Garden Referees: David Guthrie, Ben Taylor, Michael Smith The Celtics conclude their 3 game homestand with a visit from the Houston Rockets. These two teams split the series last season with each team winning on their home court. This is the second and final meeting of these two in the regular season. The Rockets won 127-113 on December 27 in Houston. The Celtics are 5th in the East, 2 games behind the 4th place Sixers and 2.5 games behind the 3rd place Pacers. The Celtics are 4-6 in their last 10 games and are looking for their 2nd straight win. The Celtics are 24-9 at home and 10-12 vs Western Conference teams. The Houston Rockets are 5th in the West, 1 game behind 4th place Portland and 2.5 games behind 3rd place Oklahoma City. They are 1.5 games ahead of 6th place Utah. The Rockets are 7-3 in their last 10 games and have a 4 game win streak coming into this game. They are 15-16 on the road and 15-8 against Eastern Conference teams. The Celtics may get a boost from the return of Aron Baynes, who would definitely help against Clint Capela. Iman Shumpert, who was injured on Wednesday is doubtful for this game. Kenneth Faried and Eric Gordon both missed Thursday’s game but are both listed as probable for this game. Gerald Green started for Gordon on Thursday, but is questionable for this game with a strep throat. Probable Celtics Starters Grid View PG: Kyrie Irving Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports Jaylen Brown Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images SF: Jayson Tatum Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports PF: Marcus Morris Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports C: Al Horford Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports Celtics Reserves Semi Ojeleye Terry Rozier Daniel Theis Brad Wanamaker Robert Williams Guerschon Yabusele Gordon Hayward Jaylen Brown Injuries Aron Baynes (foot) possible Two Way Players PJ Dozier RJ Hunter Head Coach Brad Stevens Probable Rockets Starters Grid View PG: Chris Paul Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports SG: James Harden Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports SF: Eric Gordon Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports PF: PJ Tucker Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports C: Clint Capela Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports Rockets Reserves Chris Chiozza Gary Clark Isaiah Hartenstein Terrence Jones Nene Austin Rivers Injuries Kenneth Faried (hip) probable Eric Gordon (knee) probable Gerald Green (illness) questionable Iman Shumpert (calf) doubtful Two Way Players Vince Edwards Danuel House Head Coach Mike D’Antoni Key Matchups Grid View Marcus Smart Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports James Harden Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Marcus Smart vs James Harden James Harden is averaging an amazing 36.6 points along with 6.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game this season. We know that in the past, Smart has taken up residence in Harden’s head and hopefully he can do the same in this game. Harden is not known for playing great defense and so the Celtics may be able to take advantage of that on offense. Grid View Kyrie Irving Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports Chris Paul Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Kyrie Irving vs Chris Paul Chris Paul missed the game in Houston and so this will be the first matchup between these two point guards this season. Paul is averaging 16.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game. Most of the Rockets’ offense revolves around Harden these days, but CP3 is very capable of putting up big numbers also and so Kyrie is going to have to play defense as well as playing well on the offensive end himself. Honorable Mention Al Horford vs Clint Capela Capela is averaging 17.0 points, 12.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 blocks. In the first meeting between these two teams in December, Capela put up 24 points and 19 rebounds. The Celtics will need to keep him off the boards especially. Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is always a key to every game. The Celtics beat the Wizards with defense and if they hope to win this game they are going to need the same in your face lock down defense against the Rockets. The Rockets are averaging 113.4 (11th) points per game of 112.1 (25th). The Celtics are averaging 112.1 (15th) points per game and have a defensive rating of 105.7 (5th). If the Celtics play the defense they are capable of, they can win this game. The Rockets average 118.6 points in their wins and 105.8 points in their losses. Teams that play tough defense can beat them. Rebound - In order to score, the Celtics need the ball and to get the ball, they will need to crash the boards as a team. They can’t allow the Rockets to own the boards, which will limit the Celtics fast breaks as well as their second chance points. Houston averages 41.5 rebounds while the Celtics average 44.9 rebounds per game. When the Celtics put out extra effort on the boards, it usually carries over into the rest of their game. The Rockets are 10th in 2nd chance points with 13.6 per game. The Celtics can limit these by beating the Rockets to the rebounds. Energy and Aggressiveness - The Celtics need to play physical ball and be aggressive on both ends of the court. They have to come out and play hard from start to finish with no let up. It seems when the Celtics get a lead, they stop being aggressive, as we have seen many times this season. They have to be aggressive and they have to play like the team that wants it more for 48 minutes. Move the Ball and Stay Focused - The Celtics need to move the ball and find the open man. They did this against the Wizards and need to continue to do this even more against the Rockets. They also need to make careful passes because the Rockets are 7th with 18 points off turnovers. If the Celtics lose focus and turn the ball over, the Rockets will make them pay. X-Factors<doc-sep>The Telegraph Two of the surprise packages of this clay-court season have been British – initially Dan Evans, who made a deep run in Monte Carlo, and more lately Cameron Norrie, who played his second final in three weeks on Sunday. Unfortunately, Norrie wasn’t able to land a maiden ATP title in Lyon. But then he was up against Stefanos Tsitsipas, who has been the dominant force of 2021 outside the slams, and now stands at No 1 in the table of most rankings points gained since January 1. Nevertheless, it had been a hugely creditable effort for Norrie to go this far, especially when you consider that he took out top seed Dominic Thiem on Thursday, and then trounced big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov in Saturday’s semi-final, losing only two games in the process. Norrie has come to clay late in his career, but it feels like this is developing into his favourite surface. He has one of the heaviest left-handed forehands in the game, loaded with top-spin, and uses it like a miniature version of Rafael Nadal. The result has been a tally of 14 wins and only four losses since he began his European clay-court swing in Barcelona. So while the French Open, which starts next Sunday, has traditionally been a graveyard of British hopes, there are reasons to hope that this year’s event could deliver some more positive results. Norrie’s previous final in Estoril had been a nervewracking affair which he eventually lost on a deciding-set tie-break to the more experienced Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Sunday was more straightforward for Tsitsipas, who needed only 69 minutes to hammer home a 6-3, 6-3 victory. It was Tsitsipas’ second title of the clay-court sequence, after he won Monte Carlo in mid-April, taking out Evans in the semi-final along the way. He has become a serious contender to upset the establishment – specifically Nadal and Novak Djokovic – at Roland Garros over the next few weeks. “I felt in good shape from the beginning of the tournament,” said Tsitsipas afterwards. “I am proud of today’s match, I knew it would be a difficult one against Cameron, who has been showing great tennis this week. He has been winning against good players and showing what the left hand can do on clay. “It was not an easy match today. I had to handle the nerves and I am proud of my performance and the way I stayed focused towards my goal.” On this year’s results, meanwhile, both Evans and Norrie stand among the world’s 20 most successful men. Evans is at No 16 and Norrie No 14. The next challenge for them both is to convert that ATP Tour form into a deep run at a major.<doc-sep>A pair of fifth place teams meet Sunday afternoon when the Houston Rockets pay a visit to TD Garden to take on the Boston Celtics. Both teams certainly have not played to the expectations set at the beginning of the season, but the Rockets seem to have found their stride, winning their last four games and seven of their last 10. They sit just six games behind the Golden State Warriors for first place in the West. The Celtics, on the other hand, are coming off their first win after going 0-4 since the NBA All-Star break with a 107-96 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday. Boston looks to continue its winning ways and win its 30th game at home, where the team has dominated all season. Here’s how to watch Rockets-Celtics When: Sunday, March 3, at 3:30 p.m. ET TV Channel: ABC Live Stream: ABC Thumbnail photo via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images<doc-sep>BOSTON - The Rockets were not entirely sure about who would be available to play against the Celtics until after pregame warmups, with Kenneth Faried still sore after trying to draw a charge on Miles Bridges on Wednesday, but still hoping to get loose and play. When he was a late scratch with the soreness increasing after his warmup, the Rockets were without Faried and Iman Shumpert, leaving them shorthanded for a third consecutive game since their first game of the season at full strength.<doc-sep>
The Boston Celtics overcame an entirely listless first half to make their Sunday afternoon tilt against the Houston Rockets a bit more interesting than expected. Kyrie Irving scored 24 points, Marcus Smart added 18 and Jaylen Brown played an incredible two-way game in the fourth quarter en route to 15 of his own, but they weren’t able to overcome 89 combined points from James Harden, Eric Gordon and Chris Paul, as the Rockets left TD Garden with a 115-104 win. There’s no way to sugarcoat it: the first half was an absolute disaster for the Celtics on both ends of the court. They entered the break trailing 65-43, and the diagnosis was exceptionally simple: Boston shot 43% from the field while the Rockets shot 56%. Harden powered his way to 23 first-half points, and no Celtic — even Smart — looked capable of getting in his way. This wasn’t a foul call-assisted performance, either; there were times where he looked like he was just going through a pregame layup line. Harden and Gordon alone would match the Celtics in scoring with their combined 43 points. The Celtics countered with yet another one of the feeble offensive performances that have become commonplace since the All-Star break. They coughed up seven turnovers in the first half — four of which came in the first four minutes of the game, allowing the Rockets to get out to a quick start — and looked less than capable of even simple ball handling. Even more worryingly, their recent three-point shooting woes continued. They made just one of their 13 first-half attempts and threw up a shocking amount of air balls from deep. So the Celtics had more air balls (3) than made 3-pointers (1) in the first half: pic.twitter.com/zqfanyTFZO — Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) March 3, 2019 The first half also provided a microcosm for the recent struggles of the Celtics’ starting unit. In particular, Morris was once again completely ineffectual, missing both of his field goal attempts and coughing up a pair of turnovers. He’d finish the game scoreless. Off the bench, Brown continued to be one of the team’s few spark plugs, playing a massive role in the fourth-quarter rally. The game served as a strong reminder of the lineup changes this team seems to desperately need. Jaylen providing that spark off the bench pic.twitter.com/bpXMMqaYEH — Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 3, 2019 In the early going, the third quarter looked to be more of the same. The Celtics left Gordon completely undefended behind the arc on the first two defensive possessions of the quarter, leading to a quick pair of triples and a furious Brad Stevens timeout just 55 seconds into the half. While Boston started to find their rhythm from behind the arc, hitting three triples of their own, the defense continued to struggle, allowing the Rockets to keep pace. As the quarter continued, however, the Celtics started to impose their will a little bit. They rattled off a quick 11-3 run behind a lineup anchored by Horford and Baynes, and — notably — started to make their way to the free throw line. While matchups against Houston tend to favor the Rockets at the free throw line, the Celtics actually drew even in free throw attempts for the day at 29 apiece. Though the Rockets would play the Celtics to a draw in the third quarter, the Celtics’ renewed energy would carry over to the fourth. Despite Irving resting to open the quarter and both Harden and Paul taking the court, the Celtics cut the Houston lead all the way down to 10 points with six minutes remaining in the game, keyed by frenetic energy from Brown, Rozier and the Boston defense as a whole. Jaylen brings the Garden crowd to its feet! pic.twitter.com/nhIDhTswfi — Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 3, 2019 A pivotal exchange happened with five minutes remaining in the quarter. Rozier drew a foul from Nene on a three-point attempt, but missed all three free throw attempts. However, the Celtics corralled the offensive rebound on the third missed attempt and drew Harden’s fifth personal foul of the night. From there, Smart would corral a missed three to cut the Houston lead to single digits (9) for the first time since the first quarter. With 3:20 to go, however, Harden would break out his signature double-step-back for a monstrous three over good defense from Irving to push the lead back to 12.