It’s Friday, January 3, and the Boston Celtics (25-9) and the Houston Rockets (22-11) will tip it off tonight at Toyota Center in Houston.
The Celtics were in Minneapolis last night and knocked off the Timberwolves 118-115. Jayson Tatum scored 33 and pulled down eight rebounds to lead Boston. The defending champs have now won two straight and three of their last four. The Rockets opened 2025 with a 110-99 win at home over the Dallas Mavericks. Alperen Sengun poured in 23 points and Jalen Green added 22 in the win.
The Celtics are currently 12-3 on the road with a point differential of +11, while the Rockets have a 7-3 record in their last ten games at home.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details re: Celtics at Rockets today
- Date: Friday, January 3, 2025
- Time: 8:00 pm EST
- Site: Toyota Center
- City: Houston, TX
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Game odds for Celtics at Rockets
The latest odds as of Friday:
- Odds: Boston Celtics (-140), Houston Rockets (+119)
- Spread: Celtics -3.5
- Over/Under: 221.5 points
That gives the Celtics an implied team point total of 111.77, and the Rockets 109.95.
Want to know which sportsbook is offering the best lines for every game on the NBA calendar? Check out the NBC Sports’ Live Odds tool to get all the latest updated info from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM & more!
Expert picks & predictions for Friday’s Celtics at Rockets game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) likes the home team to cover: Houston Rockets +3.5
“Rockets likely cover and may well win in this perfect schedule spot with a meaningful rest advantage over the champs.”
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Celtics & Rockets game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Boston Celtics on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Houston Rockets +3.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 221.5.
Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Celtics at Rockets on Friday
· The Celtics have won 4 of their last 5 at Western Conference teams
· The OVER is 4-1 in the Celtics’ last 5 games
· The Rockets have covered in their last 3 games as a home underdog
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
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- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
