It’s Friday, January 3rd, and the Boston Celtics (25-9) and Houston Rockets (22-11) are calling the shots tonight at the Toyota Center in Houston.

The Celtics were in Minneapolis last night and defeated the Timberwolves 118-115. Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Boston. The defending champions have now won two in a row and three of their last four games. The Rockets opened 2025 with a 110-99 home win over the Dallas Mavericks. Alperen Sengun scored 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 are 7-3 in their last 10 home games.

We have all the information and analysis you need to know before the game, including the latest on catching tipoffs, odds, current team performance, player stats and of course our predictions, tips and best bets for the game from our modeling tools and team of experts.

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Game details for: Celtics today at Rockets

• Date: Friday, January 3, 2025
• Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
• Location: Toyota Center
• City: Houston, TX

Don’t miss a second of the action and stay up to date with the latest team stats and player news. Check out our daily routine NBA schedule pagealong with detailed matchup pages updated live in-game.

Celtics at Rockets odds

The latest odds from Friday:

• Odds: Boston Celtics (-140), Houston Rockets (+119)
• Spread: Celtics -3.5
• Over/Under: 221.5 points

This gives the Celtics an implied team score of 111.77 and the Rockets 109.95.

Want to know which sportsbook offers the best odds for every game on the NBA calendar? Check this out NBC Sports Live Odds Tool to get the latest information from DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and more!

Expert picks and predictions for Friday’s Celtics-at-Rockets game

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper) wants the home team to report: Houston Rockets +3.5
“Rockets are probably covering and could well win in this perfect appointment spot, with a significant residual advantage over the champions.”

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Our model calculates predictions for every moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points such as current performance, head-to-head matchups between players, trending information and projected game totals.

Once the model is complete, we place its predictions next to the latest betting lines for the game to determine a relative confidence level for each bet.

Here are the best bets our model predicts for tonight’s Celtics & Rockets game:

• Money line: NBC Sports Bet recommends a game against the Boston Celtics on the moneyline.
• Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a game ATS on the Houston Rockets +3.5.
• In total: NBC Sports Bet stays away from a game with the game total of 221.5.

Want more NBA best bets and predictions from our team of experts and tools? Check this out Expert NBA Predictions Site from NBC Sports for moneyline, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!

Key stats, trends and insights to know ahead of the Celtics at Rockets on Friday

· The Celtics have won four of their last five games against Western Conference teams
· The OVER is 4-1 in the Celtics’ last 5 games
· The Rockets have finished as home underdogs in their last three games

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on today’s schedule, check out our NBA Top Trends Tool on NBC Sports!

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-Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
-Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
– Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
– Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)