Celtics at Rockets
The Houston Rockets don’t seem to play much defense but can run up the score as well as any team in the NBA. The Boston Celtics will try to hold that offense in check when they visit the Rockets on Tuesday. Houston is coming off back-to-back wins while the Celtics have dropped three straight and were crushed 106-88 in the opener of their three-game road trip at Minnesota on Saturday.
Boston began the season 0-4 only to claw its way back to .500 with four straight wins. Anything that went right during that winning streak is going wrong again, as the Celtics have managed an average of 89 points in the last three games while Jeff Green struggles. Houston pulled itself out of a slump with a strong effort from James Harden and a surprisingly successful night of free-throw shooting from Dwight Howard, who wrecked Denver’s defensive strategy by going 17-of-24 from the line in a 122-111 triumph on Saturday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), CSN Houston
ABOUT THE CELTICS (4-7): Green was completely shut down at the Timberwolves on Saturday, going 0-of-6 from the field in 30 minutes. The veteran swingman is 4-for-18 over the last two contests and had his teammates sticking up for him after the Minnesota loss. “We as a team, I feel like we need to get (Green) going a little bit more,” guard Avery Bradley said. “He’s a good player. I feel like as his teammates, him being to me our best player, we have to get him going.” Green is averaging a team-high 15.5 points.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (7-4): Houston is one of the highest-scoring teams in the league and averages more than 14 points more than the Celtics; it just doesn’t play a lot of defense. The Rockets are surrendering a Western Conference-high 106.3 points and spent the last two games with one of their better defensive players - Omer Asik - sitting out while grudgingly hoping for a trade. Houston welcomed Asik back to practice on Monday and is hoping to get something out of the now-backup center. “He’s a big-time rim-protector, big-time defender, big-time rebounder and he’s a big part of what we’re trying to do,” Jeremy Lin said, “so we’re just happy he’s back.”
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Lin is averaging 25.5 points over the last four games.
2. The home team has taken each of the last four meetings, including a 101-89 win for the Rockets in Houston last season.
3. Boston G Rajon Rondo is once again the subject of trade rumors, though nothing appears imminent.