The Boston Celtics ended their Western Conference road trip on Saturday, Jan. 25, with a 122-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks. This was the Celtics' third win in four road games and marked the end of another successful venture out West.

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

The Boston Celtics head to Smoothie King Center to face the New Orleans Pelicans in a non-conference matchup. The Celtics are 33-15, which puts the team in second place in the Eastern Conference. The Pelicans are 12-35, which puts the team in 14th place in the Western Conference.

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.

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 ).

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.

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.

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.

The NBA trade deadline is in eight days and Jimmy Butler is still a member of the Miami Heat.Despite multiple team-imposed suspensions (including a current indefinite one), the six-time All-Star appears to be no closer to finding a new home.

In recognition of the annual appointment of players to hoop in the mid-season showpiece, this Kia Race to the MVP Ladder is dedicated to those who’ll play in next month’s All-Star Game. Every player repping this week’s ladder is an All-Star.