Celtics look to get back on track as they host the Houston Rockets

Key Matchups
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Marcus Smart vs James Harden
James Harden is averaging 28.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 11.6 assists and 1.4 steals. It will be up to Marcus to try to slow Harden down. Harden had 37 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists in the first meeting between these two teams. Harden is not known for playing great defense and so the Celtics may be able to take advantage of that if Smart can get hot.

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Terry Rozier vs Eric Gordon
This will be a battle of 6th men. Eric Gordon is averaging 17.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists off the bench. He is 2nd in the league behind Steph Curry with 166 3-pointers this season. Gorden scored 19 in the first meeting. Rozier will need to slow him down while adding some offense of his own for the Celtics.

Honorable Mention
Jae Crowder vs Trevor Ariza
Ariza is averaging 12.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.9 steals. He scored 15 in the last game between these two teams and is capable of having a big game if not guarded closely. He can score both inside and out and so Jae needs to stay with him.


Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to every game. Defense wins games. The Rockets are 2nd in the league in scoring at 114.5 ppg. The Celtics are 9th and averaging 107.3 ppg. The Celtics allowed 123 points against the Wizards and allowed easy baskets all night. The Celtics absolutely need to get back to playing hard nose gritty defense. They acknowledged after the Wizards game that they remember back to when they were a team that opponents feared playing because of their tough physical play and gritty defense. They also acknowledge that they no longer play that way. The Celtics need to get back to playing tough team defense and limit the Rockets' scoring if they expect to get a win in this game.

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 44.1 rebounds while the Celtics average 41.2 rebounds per game. When the Celtics put out extra effort on the boards, it usually carries over into the rest of their game.

Limit Turnovers - The Celtics are averaging just 12.6 turnovers per game while the Rockets are averaging 15.5 turnovers per game. But the Celtics seem to go through stages in games where they lose focus and turn the ball over time and again. The Rockets will make them pay for each turnover and so they have to take care of the ball.

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. They have to be aggressive and they have to play like the team that wants it more.

X-Factors
Home Game and Back to Back - The Celtics are playing at home once again and need to get a boost from the always supportive crowd at the Garden. They are also playing on the second night of back to back games. Fatigue could be a factor for the Celtics, but hopefully the home crowd can give them a boost.

Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Will they call it evenly or favor the home team? Will they let them play or call every ticky tack foul? Will they give Harden preferential treatment as a star? All of these factors can shift a game for one team or the other.