Second half surge propels Celtics to 126-102 victory over Rockets

Jaylen Brown scored 39 and Jayson Tatum scored 38 because the Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets 126-102 and improved to 25-10 on the season. Boston obtained off to a gradual begin, however scored 70 factors within the second half, ending with 20 threes and 32 assists. Rob Williams had 11 factors and 15 rebounds and Malcom Brogdon added 8 assists off the bench. For Houston, Jalen Inexperienced scored 28 and Kevin Porter Jr. completed with 22.

With the Rockets enjoying on a second evening of a back-to-back, this appeared like a cupcake win for the Celtics. However with the youngest roster within the league, the Rockets are in all probability much less impacted by video games on consecutive nights than some other NBA staff, and so they regarded to construct some momentum after yesterday’s decisive win in Chicago.

Simply 5 minutes earlier than tip, Joe Mazzulla was dominated out for the sport due to eye irritation, and Damon Stoudamire took the top teaching reins. The Celtics solely shot 36 % within the first quarter however held onto a slim 22-21 lead. Jaylen was the one man who didn’t wrestle, main the best way with 15 factors and a couple of steals.

Robert Williams — nonetheless coming off the bench however making a robust case to re-enter the beginning lineup — was a pressure in his first seven minutes of play, accumulating 7 rebounds, deterring a number of pictures on the rim, and discovering Tatum on this backdoor lower:

Boston nonetheless couldn’t management the sport. Have been the Rockets enjoying an uncharacteristically good defensive recreation, or have been the Celtics enjoying all the way down to their competitors? Most likely slightly of each, however Porter Jr. led the cost for Houston, scoring 12 factors within the first 5 minutes of the 2nd quarter. He scored 36 factors final evening towards Chicago and confirmed no indicators of back-to-back fatigue.

Within the closing minute, Tatum transformed on an and-1 then discovered Al Horford for a nook three, and the Celtics led 56-49 on the finish of a forgettable first half. The Celtics shot simply 40 % from the sphere and 28 % from three. After not attending to the road as soon as within the 1st quarter, they hit all 12 of their free throws within the 2nd. Brown led the staff with 19 factors whereas Tatum chipped in 16. For Houston, Porter Jr. had 17 factors and 5 assists whereas KJ Martin scored 11 factors on an array of athletic finishes.

Tatum was aggressive to open the second half, scoring Boston’s first seven factors. However the protection wasn’t providing a lot resistance and allowed Jalen Inexperienced to search out straightforward driving lanes. Porter Jr. obtained whistled for a flagrant foul on Brown, who sunk two free throws and hit an elbow jumper on the following possession. A Derrick White floater gave the Celtics a 71-62 lead on the 6:00 mark, their largest lead of the sport.

Inexperienced had a dominant third quarter, scoring 18 on 7-of-9 capturing, together with a 3 to beat the buzzer. Within the closing two minutes, Grant Williams hit two threes and Timelord had an end-of-shot-clock dunk that was initially not counted, however later dominated a profitable bucket upon additional evaluation. The Celtics led 92-81 after three quarters.

Within the 4th, Boston jumped out to a 9-2 run that included this fabulous alley oop from Grant to Tatum:

TyTy Washington scored the Rocket’s first 8 factors of the interval, and on the 5:58 mark he discovered Jabari Smith for a 3, reducing the rating to 104-94. However the Celtics promptly responded, as Sensible, Brown, and Tatum hit consecutive threes to offer them a 16-point lead. The ultimate minutes of the sport have been a Celtics dunk present, and so they’d win the sport 126-102.

The Celtics subsequent play the Clippers this Thursday at 7:30 pm EST.