Coming off a nationally televised clutch win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Boston Celtics had to handle a quick turnaround in preparation for the Houston Rockets (22-12), who hold the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference.
The Celtics (26-9) didn’t need clutch minutes, controlling the glass, locking down the paint defensively, and shooting a fiery 49% from 3-point land in a 109-86 win on the second night of a back-to-back.
The Celtics entered the contest without Jaylen Brown for a second straight night due to a right shoulder strain as well as Al Horford, who played 34 minutes against Minnesota. The Rockets were without Amen Thompson (suspension), Tari Eason (leg) and Jabari Smith Jr. (fractured hand).
Derrick White (23 points), Jayson Tatum (20 points) and Payton Pritchard (20 points) led the charge in scoring, while Tatum also dished out five assists and six rebounds. White had six 3-point makes on 12 attempts. Jrue Holiday (14 points) and Kristaps Porzingis (11 points) also finished in double figures on a night where the team shot 51% from the field. Jalen Green led the Rockets in scoring with 27 points.
Holiday starred in an overall balanced first quarter for the Celtics, scoring the opening basket, stealing a backcourt pass to lob an alley-oop to Kristaps Porzingis, and driving into a banked hook shot in the first two and a half minutes. He finished with 12 points in the first quarter alone, while Tatum buried a triple and laid off two bounce pass assists on Luke Kornet dunks, while Derrick White nailed two quick threes for 6 points. Off the bench, Payton Pritchard hit four of his five attempts, two from distance, for 10 points.
The Rockets hit six of their first eight shots, with Alperen Sengun hitting his first three attempts, but a 10-0 Celtics run helped them control the game midway through the period and take a 37-31 lead into the second quarter. Boston shot 7-of-12 (58%) from 3-point land in the quarter.
Houston scored the first 4 points of the second quarter, but Boston was quick to respond with a 10-2 run that featured 3-pointers from White and Porzingis, a sweet fast break reverse layup from Pritchard and a big dunk from Neemias Queta off a White assist.
The Rockets kept within striking distance despite the hot shooting of the C’s, with Jalen Green heating up with 8 quick points out of a Houston timeout and veteran forward Jeff Green knocking down a three to get within two of the lead with 3:50 left in the first half, 53-51.
A Tatum takeover in the final 67 seconds helped maintain that advantage into the half, delivering consecutive knockout blows from downtown and splitting the Rockets pick-and-roll coverage for a dunk with seven seconds left, giving Boston a 65-56 lead. Boston already had four scorers in double figures, shooting 53% from the floor and 52% from three.
Jayson Tatum had 5 points with one minute left in the first half
He finished the half with 13 points and this big dunk to give the Celtics a 65-56 lead pic.twitter.com/bK6wrdxlwB
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 4, 2025
In the first five minutes of the third quarter, Boston’s maintained its 9-point halftime lead in an eventful sequence that saw White rise up and block a Dillon Brooks fastbreak layup attempt, hit a baseline floater and assist on another Kornet alley-oop. Jalen Green threw down a thunderous poster on Kornet later, but it was still a 74-65 Celtics lead.
The Rockets scored just 7 points in the final seven minutes of the third quarter, going over five minutes without a field goal, though Boston coincidentally had seven turnovers in the third, taking an 82-72 lead into the fourth. Tatum scored 5 points in the quarter, including a 3-pointer where he broke Cam Whitmore’s ankles before nailing the shot.
Houston’s shooting woes carried over into the fourth quarter, missing their first seven shots while White, Pritchard and Porzingis all knocked down threes in the first 3 minutes for a 93-72 lead.
The Rockets never recovered from their scoring drought, and with just under five minutes to play, the Celtics were able to sub their bench in and cruise to their third straight victory.
Boston continues its road trip on Sunday with a matchup between heavyweights when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at 3:30 p.m.
