James Harden & Rockets Look to Push Winning Streak to Six in Boston as 2-Point Underdogs

• Celtics try to halt Rockets’ winning streak at five on Saturday night (Feb 29)
• James Harden and Jayson Tatum have been lights out from the field in recent games
• Get the odds, our picks, and all the info you need to bet the game below

So far, the shift from small ball to micro ball has worked wonders for the Houston Rockets.

Winners of five straight, the Rockets (38-20, 17-12 away) look to make it six in a row on Saturday night (Feb 29) in Boston as they battle the Celtics (41-17, 23-5 home) — one of the teams that have already witnessed and fallen to this new-look lineup.

Tip-off for tonight goes at 8:30pm ET.

Houston Rockets vs Boston Celtics Odds

Odds taken February 28.

Even with the C’s missing all-star point guard Kemba Walker — out with what could be a troubling knee ailment — the Rockets vs Celtics odds have the home side as a 2-point favorite. Perhaps that has to do with one of their home-grown stars emerging into one of the league’s best players.

Harden: Balling and Beefin’

When the Rockets dealt Clint Capela in a package that netted them Robert Covington and essentially committed to a rotation of players about 6-foot-7 and under, James Harden seemed to be the most affected, starting with a 14-point performance against the Lakers, and going under 30 points in three of five games.

James Harden with 37 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists against Knicks.#harden #jamesharden #rockets #nba #highlights pic.twitter.com/lSkSDerXL6

— CLUTCH TIME (@Nbahighlightsu1) February 25, 2020

In that stretch, however, was a 42-point outburst against the Celtics, which proved maybe this was just a blip in the radar, and that the 2018 MVP was too talented not to figure it out. It appears that lull is over. In his last three games, Harden has broken the 30-point plateau, while shooting no worse than 56% from the field.

James Harden addresses the comments Giannis made during the All-Star draft about assists: "I average more assists him than him, I think….I don't see what the joke is."

Later: "But I wish I could just run and be 7 feet and just dunk." https://t.co/vRKMXpr3Wp pic.twitter.com/ecOzFoDsiQ

— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) February 28, 2020

He’s also had time to go back and forth with current MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, who took a jab during the all-star draft at Harden, not selecting him because he wanted someone who would pass him the ball. Harden was not impressed, and the intensity is ramping up in the stretch run.

Westbrook a Man on Fire

While Harden was always going to be there, the concern was Russell Westbrook couldn’t find his footing in a system that relied on threes and layups. The lineup change unlocked Russ in a way that makes Houston a real issue in the West.

Russell Westbrook over his last 17 Games

33.3 PPG – 7.9 RPG – 7.6 APG – 1.8 SPG – 53 FG%

Making less than 1 three per game and still scoring 30+ PPG🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/snvjP4hPCX

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) February 27, 2020

In this new era, Westbrook has played six of a possible eight games, and has scored 33 points or more in all but one against Golden State — a game where he scored 21 after getting ejected in the third quarter. He’s been relentless attacking the rim, with all this newfound space, and his efficiency is through the roof: he’s shot at least 52% from the field in every game. In fact, in February, he’s averaged 25.3 shots a game, but he’s shooting it at 54.2%.

He’s now up to 47% shooting from the field this season, which would easily surpass his career high of 45% back in 2011-12.

Jayson Tatum Taking a Leap

In the big picture, Celtics fans should be concerned that Walker might not be right with a wonky knee, but it’s really hard to focus on that since Jayson Tatum has morphed into a superstar midway through his third season.

Jayson Tatum’s last 5 games have been special:

🔥 35.4 PPG
🔥 8.0 RPG
🔥 54.5% 3-PT

James Harden and the Rockets up next 👀 pic.twitter.com/isH2cxyd88

— ESPN (@espn) February 29, 2020

After scorching the Clippers for 39 heading into the all-star break, he’s stayed hot, pouring in better than 30 points on better than 60% shooting from the field as he closed out Boston’s West Coast road trip in style.

Tatum has scored at least 20 points in 14 of his last 15 games. The only time he failed to eclipse that mark? Their loss to the Rockets, where he scored just 15 points.

What’s the Best Bet?

These are two teams that are both playing well, with identical 8-2 records in their last 10 games. Their play against the spread is also sharp: the Celtics have gone 5-0 ATS in their last five, with Houston going 4-1. Only 10 times all year have the Rockets gone into a game as underdog, and they’re 6-4 SU in those matchups. Boston, meanwhile is a sparkling 32-9 as a favorite SU, and they own the third best home record in the East at 23-5.

Still, this edition of the Rockets is hard to bet against, considering how devastating their offense is right now, pumping in better than 120 points a contest in four straight. They’ve also only lost once with their full lineup since downsizing.

The pick: Rockets +2 (-105)