If the Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics were to meet in the NBA Finals it would not be a shocking surprise. While the Rockets and Celtics are not top tier favorites to make it into the month of June, they are nonetheless capable. Keep in mind that both the Rockets and Celtics made it all the way to their respective Conference Finals last spring. For Houston this has been a frustrating and inconsistent season with a return to occasional bad habits on defense. For Boston the need for secondary scoring help to Kyrie Irving remains. But while the Celtics remain a profitable home team the Rockets have gushed their fair share of red ink.
Houston Rockets Vs. Boston Celtics
Date and Time: Sunday, March 3, 2019, 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
NBA Odds at BookMaker.eu: Check Back Later
Rockets Vs. Celtics TV coverage: ABC
Odds Analysis
Boston will carry much of the live betting action as a quality home team and NBA flagship franchise. The Rockets may garner some attention from bargain hunters, based scoring machine James Harden headlining the marquee.
Current Form
Although the Celtics are profitable for the season at home, they have been in one of their worst overall stretches of the season. Boston has covered the spread in just three of their last nine games with three of their last four games going under the total. Boston now has a record of 37-25 straight up, 31-31 against the spread, and 35-27 over the total. The Celtics trail the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers in the Atlantic Division. Kyrie Irving leads the Celtics with 23.6 points per game.
As bad as Boston has been the Rockets haven’t been much better with only one cover in their last six games. The Rockets have gone under the total in three of their last five games. Houston does still lead the Southwest Division with a record of 37-25 straight up, 27-33-2 against the spread and 34-27-1 over the total. Last year’s NBA scoring champion James Harden leads the Rockets with 36.6 points and 7.7 assists per game.
Matchup Metrics
Houston does not compare favorably with last year’s team and their metrics are indicative of that. The Rockets rank 11th in the NBA for scoring offense and 14th for points allowed. Boston has actually shown improvement over last year with NBA rankings of 15th for scoring offense and sixth for points allowed.
ATS Stats
The Rockets have been unable to lift off as a road dog. In fact, Houston has covered the spread in just three of their last eight games as a road dog with three of their last five in that role going under the total. Balanced against that is the Celtics consistent profitability at TD Garden where they have gotten the money in 14 of their last 20 laying points at home. Boston has gone over the total in six of their last seven as a home chalk.
Head to Head
Boston has had the betting value advantage in their series with Houston. The Celtics have covered the spread in six of their last eight against the Rockets with just three of the last 11 meetings between these teams going over the total. And at TD Garden the Celtics have paid in five of their last seven against Houston with the last six meetings between these teams at Boston failing to clear the total.
Free NBA Betting Odds Pick
The Celtics home court advantage, defense, and head to head marks against Houston ultimately factor in their favor. Houston has lost their edge from last year when they were one of the top teams in the NBA.
NBA Betting Odds Pick: Boston Celtics
NBA Betting Odds Score Prediction: Celtics 98, Rockets 88
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