The Celtics put together their best win of the season in a blowout 114-93 victory over the Rockets on Wednesday in Houston. The C’s were missing two starters, including Jaylen Brown, but the rest of the roster stepped up in a big way. The win improved the Celtics to 33-18 while the Rockets dropped to 31-18.
It was an ugly start with both teams missing plenty of shots. But the Celtics kept up their compete level and that carried them throughout the game. The C’s were also on the second game of a back-to-back, beating the Mavericks on Tuesday. That didn’t stop them from putting together a complete effort in Houston.
The Celtics caught fire in the third quarter. They shot 7-for-14 on 3-pointers as their lead peaked at 29 points in the second half. The Rockets endured a frustrating night, which included ex-C’s coach Ime Udoka and Alperun Sengun both getting ejected. As Udoka occasionally said during his time in Boston, the Celtics punked the Rockets.
Derrick White was excellent with 28 points and eight assists to lead the way. Neemias Queta added 10 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks. Payton Pritchard also had 27 points and seven assists off the bench. Kevin Durant had 15 points, though it was an uncomfortable night for Houston all night long.
The Celtics return to Boston to face the Heat at 7:30 p.m. Friday for their next game. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Houston:
Getting revenge: Wednesday’s game looked like it was going to be an uphill battle for the Celtics. Brown and Sam Hauser were downgraded on the injury report. Plus, Anfernee Simons was unavailable after getting traded to the Bulls. That meant a shorthanded squad playing the second game of a back-to-back against a West contender. But the Celtics were just way better than the Rockets. Houston handed the C’s their worst loss of the season back on Nov. 1 in Boston, a 128-101 result. It was the Celtics’ turn to blow out the Rockets on their home court to get revenge.
Making the most of it: Ron Harper Jr. got his first career start for the shorthanded Celtics — he showed out with the opportunity. Harper finished with 11 points and nine rebounds in his 33 minutes, career-highs across the board. The Celtics were going to rely on their wealth of depth considering they were down a couple starters. But Harper still needed to play well, and that’s exactly what he did Wednesday.
Looking at the glass: C’s coach Joe Mazzulla rolled with an unexpected starting lineup in Houston. It ended up working great. The Rockets are an elite rebounding team — the Celtics won the 65-45 edge on the glass. The Celtics went with a starting lineup that included Queta and Luka Garza. That look ended up giving the Rockets fits throughout the night then the Celtics took it from there. Queta was also all over the place as he finished with blocks on the night.
Blocking out the noise: The NBA is busy with trades all over the place, including one the Celtics made by acquiring Nikola Vucevic. But the C’s didn’t let that affect them Wednesday. It was an entire team effort in Houston with Mazzulla pushing all the right buttons. The next time the Celtics play, they could look different after the 3 p.m. Thursday trade deadline. But Wednesday was certainly a statement from this Boston squad.