Final: Celtics 99, Rockets 98

It took 47 minutes and 57 seconds, but the Celtics finally managed to get over the hump in the game's closing seconds to pull off a comeback for the ages. Al Horford hit a game-winning shot with three seconds remaining while Marcus Smart drew two offensive fouls in the closing seconds to help the Celtics steal a win at the Garden, 99-98 over the Rockets. 

The Rockets led by as many as 25 points with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, but the Celtics locked down defensively for the final 19 minutes of the game to trim the lead down to one point on multiple occasions. A variety of missed shots and turnovers kept the Celtics from taking the lead throughout the closing stages of the third quarter before Horford's basket gave the C's their first lead of the game late.

James Harden had a game-high 34 points in the win, while Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 26 points.

 

GAME: No. 39 of 82
WHO: Celtics (28-10) vs. Rockets (25-7)
WHEN:  8:00 EST
WHERE:  TD Garden
RADIO: 100.7 WZLX
TV: TNT
BOX SCORE: ESPN.COM

Starting Lineups:

Celtics
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Marcus Smart
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Aron Baynes

Rockets
PG: James Harden
SG: Eric Gordon
SF: Trevor Ariza
PF: Ryan Anderson
C: Nene 

Second Half Notes

• Brad Stevens goes with Abdel Nader to start the second half over Aron Baynes.


• The first five minutes of the half went a lot like the first half with the Celtics showing the same kind of sluggish on offense we'd seen all game.


• Things changed quickly from there though. Marcus Smart ramped up the defensive pressure and forced James Harden to get uncomfortable.


• The rest of the Rockets started to get tight from there, settling or jump shots, which they bricked as a whole.


• The Rockets still got to the line (10 attempts thanks to some questionable calls) but Houston managed just 16 points in the frame on 23 percent shooting. Harden went 1-of-9 from the field overall.


• Meanwhile, the Celtics got some timely contributions from the bench. Marcus Morris came alive to hit his first two shots of the night, including a corner 3. Kyrie Irving got going inside the Rockets defense and the C's hit the offensive glass hard. Seven offensive rebounds in the quarter led to six second chance points.


• The Rockets' struggles continues in the fourth quarter, as they continued to squandered the lead with James Harden resting. Eric Gordon did his best to keep the Rockets offense afloat but there were was just no easy baskets coming from everywhere with the C's honed in.


• Slowly but surely, the Celtics trimmed the 25-point lead down to one point with just three minutes left in the game, largely behind some balanced scoring against the weak links in the Rockets defense (Harden and Ryan Anderson).

• This appeared to be a scheduled loss on the calendar for the Celtics before the season even started with a well rested Rockets waiting for them after a back-to-back. Houston made sure that it went to that script early with a 12-0 run.


• The Rockets were without Chris Paul and Clint Capela were that didn't stop their high powered offense. James Harden routinely roasted Al Horford on switches and the Celtics were a step late contesting anything at the rim.


• Offensively, I think is where the Celtics were caught off guard. The Rockets are actually a top-10 defensive team this year and they were swarming the ball early and often with traps. That pressure caused eight early turnovers in the first quarter points, resulting in countless transition points for the Rockets.


• Marcus Morris was back in action after resting his knee Wednesday night but the Celtics might be better off putting him back on the shelf for awhile. He was 0-of-5 in the first half with a couple of charges, playing some pretty horrific two-way basketball. Rust is obviously an issue but this is a lot worse than that.


• The offense as a whole in the halfcourt was just horrific for the first 18 minutes of the first half. Too much isolation, ugly airballs on open shots, and not nearly enough Al Horford and Jayson Tatum.


• Meanwhile, Eric Gordon really got rolling in the second quarter (12 points) on a host of drives and closely contested 3s. He's a major weapon in this offense for Mike D'Antoni.


• Unspectactular debut for Gerald Green (0 points in 5 minutes).


• Things went so bad in the second quarter that Brad Stevens actually gave Jabari Bird a shot on James Harden for a couple minutes. It went about as expected.


• A lot of guys really weren't getting any lift on their shots, which appeared to be a clear cut sign of fatigue. Don't get me wrong, the Celtics were awful but the athleticism just wasn't there either.

• Marcus Morris will make his return to the Celtics lineup after two-day break to rest his sore left knee. The Celtics will still be without Jaylen Brown (knee) and Semi Ojeleye (back) for the matchup though. Looks for both of those guys to potentially return to the lineup Sunday night against the Nets.


• The Rockets will be quite shorthanded themselves in Boston, with Chris Paul, Clint Capela and Luc Mbah a Moute all ruled out with injuries. Mike D'Antoni likes to play a short rotation so he'll have to rely on end of bench guys like Briante Weber and Tarik Black in the matchup.


• The Celtics haven't been the only team reeling lately in this matchup. The Rockets have lost three straight games overall, largely due to the injury bug becoming an issue for them yet again.


• Houston may not be at full strength, but they will be fully rested. They've had two full days off in Boston since playing Oklahoma City on Christmas day. The Celtics will be coming off a back-to-back last night in Charlotte.


• Old friend Gerald Green signed with the Rockets Thursday afternoon and will be in uniform for tonight's game against his former team. "He’s a guy who can score the ball," Brad Stevens said. "He’s a guy that’s been doing it for a long time, he was fun to have around, and he’s a big reason we advanced out of the first round. Him starting in the Bulls series and spreading the floor, and being able to guard up a spot, he was matched up with Mirotic, who we can recognize is no easy task. Mirotic is a good player. So Gerald is a really accomplished guy, it makes a lot of sense, he fits perfect for how they play. I wish they would have waited until tomorrow."