NBA schedule: Houston Rockets face the Boston Celtics

The Houston Rockets face the Boston Celtics tonight at 5:30 p.m. PST in a game that Golden State Warriors fans should probably have some interest in.

The Rockets (48-13) and Warriors (49-14) are separated by just .03% in the Western Conference standings, which means that every game game from here on counts as described by both Brady Klopfer and Hugo Kitano have described here at Golden State of Mind recently. And, as described by Jeremy Brener of The Dream Shake, tonight’s game marks the beginning of a rough stretch for the first-place Rockets.

The Rockets have not yet beaten the Celtics, Thunder, or Raptors this season and those represent three of the Rockets’ first four opponents.

Tonight at home is the first test for the Rockets as the second-place Celtics come to town for their annual visit. When the Rockets played the Celtics back in late December, the Celtics caught the Rockets at their lowest of lows during the season, as they were on their largest losing streak of the year. And even with that burden, the Rockets still blew a 26-point lead in the game. This time, the Rockets are looking to extend their season-high streak and the team could not be playing any better. I think the Rockets will look to seek revenge and get it with the home crowd on their side.

In other words, no matter what you think about how valuable the top seed in the West is, tonight’s game represents the beginning of a streak where the Warriors have a decent chance to gain some ground and the Celtics are a team that has what it takes to disrupt things for the streaking Rockets.

This game begins at 5:30 p.m. PST, but click here for the full NBA schedule for tonight.