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Celts Hope to Ground Rockets, Build Win Streak

	VS.
7-9	Record	4-12
98.8	PPG	85.3
100.8	PPGA	89.5
46.5	FG%	41.2
45.4	Opp. FG%	42.5
40.6	Rebounds	41.6
22.1	Assists	16.5
16.6	Turnovers	15.4
7.3	Steals	6.5
6.1	Blocks	4.1
1	Season Series	0

Tuesday, December 6, 2005
At Toyota Center, 8:30 PM
TV: Fox Sports Net New England
Radio: WRKO 680 AM


The Celtics continue their five-game road trip Tuesday when they look for their first winning streak of the season in Houston. The Celts defeated the Rockets 102-82 in Boston earlier this season, with Raef LaFrentz putting in a memorable performance, matching his career-high with 32 points, including seven three-pointers in the first half. The Celtics are coming off their first road win of the season, a 102-99 win at New York, while the Rockets have struggled as of late, losing eight of their last nine games.

POINT GUARD
Delonte West Points: 9.3 Rebounds: 4.1 Assists: 4.2	David Wesley Points: 8.1 Rebounds: 3.3 Assists: 2.6
Delonte West is coming off one of his best games of the season, scoring a season-high 17 points at New York, and he could have a favorable matchup in this one. Wesley is a smart veteran player, but West should be able to use his athleticism to cause problems for the Rockets. West will not want to cheat off Welsey to much and allow the former Celtic to get hot from downtown.

SHOOTING GUARD
Ricky Davis Points: 21.7 Rebounds: 4.9 Assists: 5.6	Luther Head Points: 9.9 Rebounds: 3.2 Assists: 2.3
Ricky Davis is playing some of the best basketball of his career, and Tuesday night's game shouldn't be any different as he matches up with rookie Luther Head. Head has been one of the better rookies in the NBA this season, but he's still a rookie. Look for Davis to take advantage of Head's youth and little NBA experience.

SMALL FORWARD
Paul Pierce Points: 27.0 Rebounds: 9.1 Assists: 4.4	Tracy McGrady Points: 20.9 Rebounds: 7.8 Assists: 4.4
This is the marquee matchup Tuesday, as Paul Pierce and Tracy McGrady face off again. In their last matchup Pierce had a complete game, posting 19 points, 10 assists and 7 boards, while McGrady scored 14 points in just under 28 minutes. The key for Pierce is to start strong, as getting an early lead on the road never hurts. If the game is close in the fourth quarter, as most of the Celtics' have been, then the outcome could depend on which of these two superstars is hotter in the final minutes.

POWER FORWARD
Raef LaFrentz Points: 10.9 Rebounds: 5.1 Assists: 1.0	Juwan Howard Points: 7.4 Rebounds: 6.4 Assists: 1.1
Don't expect another 32-point effort from Raef LaFrentz, but the Celtics need a solid performance from their three-point shooting big man. Since his big night vs. Houston earlier in the season, LaFrentz is shooting just 42.5% from the field.

CENTER
Kendrick Perkins Points: 2.7 Rebounds: 4.5 Assists: 0.7	Yao Ming Points: 19.9 Rebounds: 8.9 Assists: 1.3
The Kendrick Perkins vs. Yao Ming matchup will be very interesting. It's one of the few times where Perk will have the speed and athelticism edge on his opponent. If Perk can get on the offensive glass and force Yao into cheap fouls, the Celtics will be in business. Ming doesn't run well so it would serve Perkins well to get involved in the fast break as well. On the defensive end look for Perk to use his body and long arms to frustrate Yao.

BENCH
Al Jefferson Points: 6.5 Rebounds: 4.4 Assists: 0.3	Stromile Swift Points: 8.6 Rebounds: 4.5 Assists: 0.3
We called this the key bench matchup in the last meeting and Jefferson scored just 2 points and grabbed 4 boards, while Swift went off for 17 points. But Jefferson is much healthier now, and is begginging to find his game. The biggest impact either of these two have will be on the boards.

Compiled by Brian Gleason