James L. Edwards III, Fred Katz and Jay King analyze the Eastern Conference at the halfway point of the season.

The Celtics will need to play well at home to prevent another deflating loss to a team they should beat on paper.

On a team full of star players like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kristaps Porzingis, Derrick White has emerged as one of the key pieces for the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics have nine games remaining before the All-Star break, beginning with Monday night’s home matchup against the Houston Rockets at TD Garden. Included in that span are road games against Boston’s top two Eastern Conference challengers: at Cleveland on Feb. 4 and at the New York Knicks on Feb. 8.

During a recent appearance on 98.5 The Sports Hub, Joe Mazzulla discussed the importance of the Celtics roster sticking together. The third-year head coach is preaching the value of the team remaining on the same page and working through their current adversity without allowing individual agendas to creep into the mix.

The Celtics play at the TD Garden in Boston, which they share with the NHL's Boston Bruins. It's located in the heart of Boston, directly above the MBTA's North Station. Construction on TD Garden started in 1993. The arena opened its doors in 1995. It cost $160 million to build.

Boston Celtics star Kristaps Porziņģis feels the team has lacked the same sharpness it displayed last year, when it conquered the Dallas Mavericks in the

The Celtics have another tough challenge to end their road trip on Saturday when they play the Dallas Mavericks in what will be a Finals rematch from last summer.

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 Celtics still managed a 122-107 win on Saturday over the Dallas Mavericks, though Porzingis admitted that his side are playing catch-up after last season's success

DALLAS — Jayson Tatum scored 24 points, Derrick White added 23, including Boston’s first 11 of the third quarter, and the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks 122-107 on Saturday night in the first meeting between the teams since the NBA Finals.