The Rockets Need a Strong Outing Against the Celtics

After two straight victories against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Houston Rockets are prepared for a Monday night matchup against the Boston Celtics. The teams first met in early January, resulting in a huge victory for Boston. The Rockets had one of their worst games of the season against the Celtics, and they're looking to ride the momentum of their Cleveland wins to have a better performance this time around.

Understanding how Houston lost against Boston the first time is the key to changing things in the rematch.

One major difference is the presence of Amen Thompson. He served a two-game suspension that kept his defense out of the lineup against the Celtics. With star wings such as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, having both Thompson and Dillon Brooks together with the starters gives Houston the best chance at slowing down Boston's scorers.

Tari Eason will also get his first crack at the Celtics this season. He missed a stretch of games due to injury, and the Rockets needed his wing defense. Eason made an impact as soon as he returned to the lineup, and Houston is counting on him and their other top wing defenders to hold down the defense and keep Boston from having success on offense.

Houston's defense is a major factor in determining the winner. The Celtics had an even scoring attack with three players scoring 20 or more points. Derrick White led the team with 23 points after hitting six three-pointers. Payton Pritchard added four more three-pointers as well. The Rockets need improvement guarding the three-point line against the league's highest-volume shooting team.

Houston's offense needs some improvement as well.

The change in the starting lineup should go a long way toward creating more efficient scoring opportunities. Veteran wing Jeff Green started and played nearly 30 minutes after not playing much throughout the season. Thompson replaces Green as a significant upgrade, relegating Green to the bench on limited minutes.

Jalen Green is an element of the Rockets' offense that needs to recreate his shooting to help Houston secure a victory. Jalen made five three-pointers on about 38 percent from deep last time around. Green is showing more confidence attacking the basket and making tough finishes, and it's opening up his game for his deep shot. Challenging big man Kristaps Porzingis in the paint is the best way for Houston to break down Boston's defense and collapse a few defenders into the paint.

Nobody on the Rockets has more of a presence down low than Alperen Sengun. His job description for the squad is to challenge big men in the paint and collapse defenses into double-teams. He consistently finds open teammates when he's double-teamed and creates efficient offense in isolation.

Sengun is one of the main players looking to have a better outing against the Celtics on both sides of the floor. He's proven himself a capable defender, which is necessary against a Boston team built to take advantage of defensive weaknesses. His 14 points and team-low plus/minus were not enough for Houston to win. The Rockets will need their best player to step up and make big contributions against the Celtics if they have any chance at victory.

However, one player won't be enough to take down the Celtics on the road in Boston. It's all hands on deck for a Houston team looking for revenge against last year's champions.

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