What to Know
- After winning in Orlando late Sunday afternoon, the C’s lost Monday night in Houston, 109-93.
- Alperen Sengun was dominant, with a game-high 26 points to go with 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
- The Celtics shot 39 percent from the field and 29 percent from three.
- The loss ends a five-game winning streak and drops the Celtics to 5-2.
- The Celtics return home to host the Bucks on Wednesday before a four-game road trip.
On the second night of a back-to-back, having played in Orlando on Sunday before flying to Houston, the Celtics may not have been at full power on Monday night vs. the Rockets.
At least, they looked that way, as they began the night with shooting woes that never went away. They never led against the Rockets but hung around until the fourth quarter when Houston ultimately ran away with the game.
Jayson Tatum was 1-for-7 from three and 5-for-16 overall, while Derrick White was 3-for-12 from the floor. Sam Hauser was 1-for-6 off the bench, including 0-for-5 from three, and Payton Pritchard finished 0-for-7 from the field in his 30 minutes off the bench.
It was an ugly one for the celtics, who also had no answer for Alperen Sengun. He did damage in the paint, scoring 26 points while also dishing out 10 assists and bringing down 7 rebounds. He addeed two steals and two blocks to orund out his night.
The Celtics were without veteran Paul George in the back-to-back scenario, but this wasn’t a game where one player could have made a difference.
Check out the live blog below for a full recap of the night’s events.
After the game, Chris Forsberg and Eddie House both pointed out that the trio of Derrick White, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard combined to shoot 4-for-25 from the field for 13 total points.
“A little disappointing that with a chance of a little bit of a measuring stick game, the Celtics weren’t able to get anything from that group,” Forsberg said. “It spoils a little bit of what [Neemias Queta and Luka Garza] were able to do at the big man spot.”
Watch the full Instant Reaction, including Drew Carter and Cedric Maxwell’s summation of the night, in the video above.
Jayson Tatum was clearly not in the mood for any joking from Marcus Smart during the game, but after the game, Tatum was able to appreciate some of Smart’s high jinks with a postgame meet-up.
Final, 109-93 Rockets: There was no fourth-quarter surge from the Celtics, who just couldn’t shoot in this one.
Boston finished shooting 39 percent from the field while going 12-for-42 (29 percent) from three. The Rockets are far too good of a game for the Celtics to be able to compete on a night like that.
The Celtics also had no answer for Alperen Sengun, who dominated in the paint, scoring a game-high 26 points with 10 assists and 7 rebounds, along with a pair of steals and two blocks.
The Celtics will briefly return home to face the Bucks on Wednesday before embarking on a stretch with four straight road games, going through Charlotte, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Toronto.
Fourth quarter, 3:35, 102-89 Rockets: The comeback is not in the cards for the C’s, who fell behind by 18.
It’s been cut to 13, leading to a Houston timeout. But this one’s just about over.
Fourth quarter, 7:56, 93-79: With Tatum on the bench to start the fourth, the Celtics couldn’t keep it close. They now are in their biggest hole of the night.
Marcus Smart made threes on consecutive possessions before Reed Sheppard made another to get the score where it is. Luka Garza did make a three of his own between the Smart threes, but Hauser front-rimmed his three after Smart’s second.
Joe Mazzulla turned to Ron Harper Jr. for a bit of life, but he’s 0-for-3 in 4 minutes.
