BOSTON -- The Celtics suffered their worst loss of the season on Saturday night as a well-rested Rockets squad crushed Boston 128-101 at TD Garden. The Rockets ended the Celtics’ three-game winning streak with the convincing win as they took a 13-point first quarter lead and did not look back, leading by as many as 36 points in the convincing rout.
Kevin Durant led the way for the visitors with 26 points as seven different Rockets players scored in double figures in the win. Alperen Sengun (16 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists) nearly finished with a triple-double as Houston won their third straight game. The Rockets shot a red-hot 54 percent from the field in the win and 65 percent from 3-point range.
Baylor Scheierman finished with a game-high 17 points as no Celtics starters played in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. Derrick White’s offensive struggles continued in the setback as he shot just 2-of-11 from the field while Boston hit just 39 percent of their shots in the defeat.
The Celtics will now get a day off Sunday to rest their tired legs after a busy week before hosting the Utah Jazz on Monday night at TD Garden.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ loss on Saturday night.
Celtics still have no answer for Kevin Durant: The All-Star forward is surrounded by a ton of size in the Rockets starting five and the Celtics just don’t have anyone who can bother him much on this roster. The sharpshooter created a bunch of open looks for himself in the midrange all night, making his first six shots of the night on his way to 20 first half points. Nearly all of Boston’s wings got a crack on him defensively with tough results, particularly Gonzalez who piled up three fouls in just five first half minutes. The Rockets offense is humming right now (second in NBA) and Durant’s shotmaking is a big reason why.
The Rockets size is a massive headache for the Celtics and everyone else: Houston started three players taller than everyone in Boston’s starting lineup and took advantage of that early and often Saturday night. The Rockets racked up a massive edge at the free throw line with Durant leading the way as they repeatedly attacked against an undersized Boston offense in transition and the half court. The Rockets also did plenty of damage with their double bigs on the offensive glass, piling up 15 second chance points despite shooting over 54 percent from the field. Mazzulla threw double teams and ball pressure at Houston all night but it didn’t prevent the Rockets firepower from getting easy looks and trips to the free throw line all night.
This was a scheduled loss: Saturday night marked not just the second half of a back-to-back set for Boston but their fifth game in seven nights. Meanwhile, the Rockets were well rested with two days off after their win in Toronto, patiently awaiting the Celtics in Boston while the hosts were scrapping their way to a win in Philadelphia on Friday night. The rest disadvantage doesn’t tell the whole story for Boston (Houston is clearly the more talented team) but it was evident from the opening tip that the legs weren’t there for Boston’s key starters in this one. That combined with a strength and size disadvantage made it clear early that this was a mountain too tall for Boston to climb.
Celtics should be pleased with a 3-4 start: It probably didn’t come the way anyone envisioned but the Celtics find themselves in a pretty good spot despite this loss. Given how tough Boston’s schedule was these first two weeks, most probably would have signed up a 3-4 record to open the year. Outside of being completely overmatched and flat against the Rockets, the Celtics have put up a good fight against everyone they’ve faced so far and Joe Mazzulla has figured out some important lessons with his lineups and rotations early. Boston surviving this stretch gives them a chance to stay afloat in the East before the schedule lightens up more in December.
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