Welcome to the Garden ...

TD BANKNORTH GARDEN -- Welcome to the Garden, where the Boston Celtics (29-7) will take on the Houston Rockets (21-15) at 7:30 p.m.

I won't be the first to tell you that the Celtics have lost five of their last seven games. All five of those losses, however, came on the road. The Celtics have won 13 in a row at the new Garden. Add that to five consecutive road losses for the Rockets, and on paper it looks like the Celtics should have the advantage in this one.

We'll find out come tip-off.

The court is currently closed to the media as the Celtics go through their pregame walkthrough. With a game in Charlotte last night, the team obviously had no time to practice this morning. But when the Celtics are doing well, they sometimes skip the before-the-game walkthrough on the second night of a back-to-back. Not the case tonight.

Tony Allen, who missed last night's game with a right ankle injury, was in street clothes a short time ago while the rest of his teammates prepared for the Rockets. That doesn't bode well for Allen getting back onto the court against Houston tonight.

The locker rooms open shortly. We'll have plenty of pregame news and notes, as well as an in-game chat, coming your way this evening. Stay tuned.