Saturday night at TD Garden brings on the second night of a back-to-back, as the Celtics (3-3) play host to one of the best teams in the NBA in the Houston Rockets (2-2).

With the Rockets comes Ime Udoka, the one time head coach of the Celtics who led Boston to a 2022 NBA Finals appearance during his lone season manning the sidelines for the NBA’s winningest franchise.

Since joining a Houston organization what was mid-build upon his arrival, he has helped turned the Rockets into a true title contender, making the franchise an attractive-enough destination for former MVP and two-time champion Kevin Durant to call home via trade from the Suns (2-4) this offseason.

The Celtics are coming into Saturday night sporting a three-game winning streak - the longest active streak in the Eastern Conference.

Betting Odds for Celtics vs. Rockets - November 1, 2025 (Full Game)

Spread: Celtics +5.5 (-110), Rockets -5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Celtics +175, Rockets -205
Total: Over 225 (-110), Under 225.5 (-112)

Best number in each market via OddsTrader, which aggregates all the odds from every sportsbook to give you the best options to choose from.

Missed last night’s win against the 76ers? Here are five takeaways:

1. Celtics Keep Up Fast Starts

Quick starts have become a trademark of this Boston team. They stormed out to a 38-25 lead after the first quarter, going 16 of 26 from the field (61.5%) and 5 of 13 from deep (38.5%), while committing only 1 turnover. The 76ers shot 8 of 18 (44.4%), and gave the ball away 4 times, leading to 7 crucial Celtics points.

Brown and Pritchard combined for 24 points in the first frame, nearly outscoring Philadelphia by themselves.

Through six games, the Celtics have topped 30 points in the opening quarter five times, with scores of 28, 30, 33, 34, 40, and 38. They’ve shot at least 50% in every first quarter (79 of 144), assisting on 42 of those makes (53.1%), and own a +38 first-quarter margin for the season.

They’ve been great out of the gate! It’s the rest of the game that keeps getting away from them.

2. Bend, Don’t Break

Boston built a commanding 24-point lead with 3:34 left in the second quarter, but Philadelphia responded with a 17–4 burst to close the half.

By 6:40 in the third quarter, the 76ers had tied the game - a 32-8 run in all.

Even as the momentum swung, the Celtics held firm and never surrendered the lead. It was a textbook “bend but don’t break” outing - not their cleanest performance, but one that showed resilience down the stretch.

To be honest, it kind of reminded me of the reverse of what we’ve seen from the Patriots defense through eight games this NFL season. They’ve played bend-don’t-break defense to open the game almost every week, eventually shutting their opponents down as the game moves along.

I’m not saying one is better than the other, but one of these two teams is 6-2 with an MVP-candidate, and the other started the season 0-3…

3. Hugo!

A defining moment came when Pritchard knocked the ball loose, sending it rolling up the baseline. Rookie Hugo Gonzalez sprinted and dove to keep it alive - a play that embodied his effort all night (think Jeter diving into the stands, except this was added effort that was actually needed to make the play, not just getting bloody for the cameras).

Gonzalez finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks in 14:33, posting a +10 rating. Beyond the stats, his energy, defense, and hustle were contagious, helping shift momentum multiple times.

I love this kid, and I want Mazzulla to finally unlock him at some point in the next few games.

Play Hugo, Joe!

4. Kudos to Jaylen Brown

Turnovers aside, Brown continued his stellar start to the season with 32 points on 13 of 19 shooting, going 4 for 7 from three with 6 assists, 3 rebounds, a steal and a block.

Through six games, he’s averaging 27.7 PPG on 55% shooting overall and 48.7% from three, along with 5.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists. He’s topped 30 points in three contests already - production that has him looking like an early All-NBA candidate.

We knew this was going to be the year he needed to step up as lead-banana, and so far that’s exactly what he’s done. And with his team on a mini heater, it’s looking his high-level of play is actually starting to elevate the players around him - the mark of a true superstar.

5. Simons Continues to Thrive

The “Anfernee Simons 6th Man Experience” has been an absolute joy game-to-game thus far. He poured in 19 points to go along with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block in 28 minutes of action. Though his shooting lines (7-21 FG, 3-9 3PT) weren't ideal, his +23 rating led all players. He’s reached double figures in every game this year and has scored 15+ twice.

Still adapting to Boston’s system, Simons continues to provide a reliable scoring punch off the bench, showing why Brad Stevens received so much praise for acquiring Simons as the return in the Jrue Holiday trade this summer.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.