Boston Celtics
On a night when the Celtics were led by one of the most unassuming stars in the NBA, they played one of their more cohesive, egalitarian games in recent memory.
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) controls the ball against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, in Houston, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/ Karen Warren) AP
Down two starters and playing on the second night of a back-to-back, Derrick White and the Celtics demolished the Rockets in the second half, pulling away as Houston self-destructed late for a 114-93 win.
Here are the takeaways.
Derrick White was the star.
The Celtics desperately needed a big Derrick White game with Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser sidelined, and while several players stepped up, everything started with White, who delivered one of his most important offensive performances of the season.
Most of White’s damage was done in the third quarter when the Celtics blew the game open. He hasn’t been particularly effective as a shooter off the dribble this year — one of the few knocks on his game — but he caught a heater and hit four triples off the bounce, as well as a swooping layup slicing to the basket. That flurry helped the Celtics push their lead from four to 24 over the course of seven minutes, capped by White’s stuttering triple directly in Kevin Durant’s face.
Other than his third-quarter barrage, White wasn’t particularly efficient (a game high 28 points, but 10-for-25 shooting from the floor), which is kind of like saying, “other than landing a big raise, I had a pretty bad day.” He also dished out a game-high eight assists and was one of the most important pieces of a Celtics defense that held its opponent to 100 or fewer for the fourth game in a row.
On a night when the Celtics were led by one of the most unassuming stars in the NBA, they played one of their more cohesive, egalitarian games in recent memory.
We would challenge you to find a better summation of the Derrick White experience than that.
The Celtics crushed the Rockets on the glass.
Led by Neemias Queta, who pulled down a staggering 19 boards, the Celtics grabbed 65 total rebounds, 20 of which were offensive. The Rockets, by comparison, finished with 38 rebounds, 12 of which were offensive.
The 27-rebound differential is impressive enough, but it might be the second-most eye-catching stat behind the offensive rebounding percentage: 46.2 percent. In other words, the Celtics got a second bite at the apple after nearly half of their misses.
The Rockets aren’t as dominant on the glass as they were earlier in the year — Steven Adams suffered a grade-three ankle sprain and needed surgery, and he’s out for the rest of the season. Sengun isn’t bad, but he’s not a force on Adams’ level.
The Rockets had the best rebounding rate in the NBA when Adams went down on Jan. 18, and they have dipped to fourth since. That’s still good, of course, but on a night like Wednesday when they came out visibly flat and unprepared against a short-handed Celtics team, they needed a player like Adams who could have physically dominated the Celtics around the rim and likely would have prevented a lot of the offensive rebounds that found their way back out to Celtics shooters.
The Rockets lost their minds.
Right before the third quarter expired, Queta grabbed one of his seven offensive boards and was fouled trying to put the ball back up. In the confusion of the final buzzer, NBC Sports Boston sent the game to the break, but right before they did, an incensed Ime Udoka picked up a technical.
Shortly afterward, Udoka approached the official and, without changing his facial expression at all, apparently said something instantly worthy of a second technical, because he started walking toward the locker room without a glance back at the official, who — sure enough — tossed him from the game.
Nearly six minutes of game time later, Sengun drove to the basket and was blocked. The official called the ball out of bounds on him, and an incredulous Sengun yelled “what?!” directly under the rim mic. Udoka had already unsuccessfully used a challenge early in the game, so Sengun could only stare in amazement at the official, before cursing at her, still directly under the rim mic.
The entire Celtics bench could be heard yelling “Whoa!” at Sengun, and the official wasted no time throwing him out of the game too.
The Rockets didn’t enter Wednesday’s game with much focus, they didn’t play with any purpose, and they didn’t comport themselves with any poise. Add a Celtics team full of players hoping to prove something in their opportunity to see the floor, and maybe the blowout was actually a little predictable.
Baylor Scheierman started and looked great.
Perhaps the wildest thing about this Celtics team is the extent to which nearly every player on the roster is, to some degree, genuinely good and ready to help the team win basketball games.
At the start of the season, Josh Minott looked like an extension candidate — an opportunity to buy low on the kind of versatile wing that every team covets.
Then Jordan Walsh did his best impression of a more athletic, less injury-prone Avery Bradley for several weeks.
Then Hugo González motored around the court and sparked everyone’s imagination about what the 19-year-old could eventually become.
Now Baylor Scheierman has stepped into a starting role, and he suddenly looks more than competent — a major value-add in his lineups. Scheierman recorded a double-double on Wednesday, finishing with 15 points and 10 rebounds. He was 5-for-10 from the floor and buried three 3-pointers, as well as a tough driving floater after absorbing a ton of contact from Tari Eason.
Meanwhile, Scheierman’s rebounds are particularly useful in part because he’s so comfortable running the ball up the floor when he grabs them — not unlike Al Horford last year. A rebounder who can push the pace can create a mini-fastbreak, and the Celtics pounced on a lackluster Rockets defense numerous times on Wednesday.
Like Walsh and González, Scheierman is still a bit of a mystery box — it’s not entirely clear what the Celtics have in him, and Scheierman is notably older than the other two (a stately 25 already), but what we’ve seen recently is overwhelmingly positive and encouraging.
Ron Harper Jr. also started and also looked great.
Seriously, the Celtics might not employ any bad players.
Harper, who is on a two-way deal, started his first NBA game and looked shockingly comfortable. He too nearly recorded a double-double (11 points, nine rebounds), he hit a smooth step-back 3-pointer and finished 3-for-7 from deep, and he even bothered Durant defensively in the second half as the Rockets star tried to establish himself and break up the Celtics’ run that cracked the game open.
Harper also flew in for this massive put-back slam.
Payton Pritchard settled into his bench role instantly.
If there were any concerns about Pritchard returning to the bench, he assuaged them instantly with his 26-point outburst against the Mavericks on Tuesday, and he added 27 with seven assists off the bench against the Rockets.
With Simons headed to Chicago (or perhaps somewhere else, according to reports) no later than tomorrow at 3 p.m., Pritchard’s role once again seems to be to overwhelm opposing bench units, which may actually be the role for which he is best suited, although neither the Rockets’ bench nor starting unit seemed to have an answer for him on Wednesday.
Let’s give Joe Mazzulla his due.
The Celtics have had a brutal schedule full of every-other-night games, back-to-backs, and three-games-in-four-nights stretches over the last month and a half. Wednesday’s game was the second night of a back-to-back and the third game in four nights nearly 2,000 miles from Boston. Jaylen Brown was out. Sam Hauser was out. The Celtics had every reason to fold.
But the Celtics under Joe Mazzulla simply don’t do that. Over the last three years, they are 26-10 on the second night of back-to-backs (6-3 this season). When they are missing key players, others step up. The Celtics might lose, and on the occasional night, they might be less talented than their opponent, but they never look unprepared or unmotivated.
A lot of credit belongs to the players, who keep themselves ready constantly. A good amount of credit belongs to Brad Stevens, who identifies talent and personalities that will mesh with as deft a hand as any evaluator in the NBA.
But year after year, the team buys into what Joe Mazzulla preaches, and he convinces them to play hard and smart, and to execute everything they do at a high level.
This year, given the massive Jayson Tatum-sized hole in the roster, Mazzulla’s influence on his team is particularly stark. Frankly, we probably don’t discuss him enough in this space, but we should note that he absolutely deserves to be one of the frontrunners for Coach of the Year.
What’s next
The Celtics swept their brutal Texas trip and will now return to Boston for three more games before the All-Star break. They face the Heat on Friday before hosting the Knicks in a game with major standings implications at 12:30 on Sunday as an appetizer for Patriots fans who need to calm their nerves for a while before the Super Bowl.
They will head into the break after taking on the Bulls on Wednesday.
Get the latest Boston sports news
Receive updates on your favorite Boston teams, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
