The defending NBA champions return home after four against on the road against Western Conference opponents for a matchup on Monday, Jan. 27 that sees the Houston Rockets going against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

A Western Conference team has overtaken the Boston Celtics as the top favourite to win the 2024-25 NBA Finals.

Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks is known for his ability to irritate opponents. Doing this regularly during his six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies, Brooks led the NBA with 18 technical fouls during the 2022-23 season ( via FOX Sports ).

New Orleans will try to stop its four-game losing streak when the New Orleans Pelicans play Boston. The teams play Friday for the first time this season.

The Rockets sit second in the Western Conference and just beat the Cavaliers twice in four days, knocking them from the top spot in the NBA.

The Houston Rockets head to TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics in a non-conference matchup. The Rockets are 29-14, which puts them in second place in the Western Conference. The Celtics are 31-14, which puts them in second place in the Eastern Conference.

Dillon Brook's pockets will be a little lighter due to his comments following the Rockets' win over the Celtics.

By no surprise, Tatum shoots better at home, draining 36.4% of his attempts compared to 34% on the road. That’s on an average of 3.6 makes as well. The Duke product just had a 4-for-12 performance in his last game and he’s hit the Over in treys in three of his last six.

The Clippers might not have some of their best players for this game, including James Harden. Harden is listed questionable with right groin soreness. The Clippers have quite a few players who could miss this game due to soreness. If they do, the Celtics absolutely have to win this game. They have to take advantage when other teams are injured.

Boston hosts Houston in out-of-conference action. Monday's matchup is the first of the season for the teams. Boston is 15-8 at home, and Houston is 15-7 on the road.