Dwight Howard isn't going to play, but the Celtics have a weak front line and the spread isn't as high as it would be if Howard were playing.

The Celtics have dropped 10 of their last 15. They just aren't a very good team as they keep getting rid of their best players in an effort to rebuild. They also are banged up in the backcourt as neither Avery Bradley nor Evan Turner is 100 percent.

This is a difficult schedule spot for Boston. The Celtics just got through playing six consecutive road games that took them to the Pacific Time Zone then Mountain Time Zone and then back to West Coast time. Now they're playing on Eastern time.

Houston has recovered from its recent losses to Golden State to post three straight victories and covers beating the Suns, Lakers and Mavericks. Getting underrated Terrence Jones back helps reduce the loss of Howard.

The Rockets have covered 11 of the past 12 times when playing a below .500 opponent and have covered 10 of the last 13 times in Boston.