Boston Celtics (47-21) vs. Houston Rockets (15-52)
March 13, 2023 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Rockets +12.5; Over/Under: +230
(Get latest betting odds)
The Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets duke it out at the Toyota Center on Monday night.
The Boston Celtics have been in decent shape as they’ve won six of their last 10 games overall and they will be aiming for a third straight win after beating the Hawks in a 134-125 road win on Saturday. Jayson Tatum led the team with 34 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, Jaylen Brown added 24 points with seven assists while Derrick White and Malcolm Brogdon each scored 18 points. As a team, the Celtics shot 54 percent from the field and 20 of 42 from the 3-point line as they poured in 71 points in the first half to take the early lead, before they went on another run in the third quarter to push the lead out to 16 points.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have lost 14 of their last 16 games overall and they will be hoping to snap a three-game skid after falling short to the Bulls in a 119-111 loss on Saturday. Jabari Smith Jr. led the team with 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, Jalen Green added 18 points with seven assists while Kenyon Martin Jr. chipped in with 16 points. As a team, the Rockets shot 48 percent from the field and 16 of 34 from the 3-point line as they looked to be in control when they poured in 40 points in the third quarter to take a 13-point lead, only to let their hard work go to waste in the fourth quarter where they got outscored by 32-16 to lose yet another game.
Looking at the betting trends, the Celtics are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games, 4-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record and 5-0 ATS in their last five games against a team below. 400. The Rockets are 1-3-1 ATS in their last five home games, 0-5 ATS in their last five games against a team above .600 and 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games overall.
Hea to head, the under is 21-6 in the last 27 meetings overall, the Celtics are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings in Houston and the Celtics are 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings overall.
The Celtics are shorthanded again as Payton Pritchard and Robert Williams are both still out, while the Rockets are keeping an eye on Alperen Sengun who is listed as day to day. The Celtics are starting to heat up again, they’re just about at full health and they are 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings in Houston and 6-0 ATS in the last six meetings overall. The Rockets have been playing a little better lately, but they’re still in full tank mode, so I’ll back the Celtics to win big on the road in this one.
