Final: Rockets 127, Celtics 113 -- Harden erupts for 45 as Rockets pull away late

James Harden set a new career-high with nine made 3s on his way to a 45-point performance as the Rockets pulled away down the stretch for a 127-113 victory over the Celtics. Harden also attempted 17 second half free throws and dished out six assists as Houston erupted for 127 points on the night, the most allowed by the Celtics all season.

Kyrie Irving (23 points and 11 assists) looked stellar in defeat, but it was the C's bench that was its weak spot all night as the team's core bench pieces (Hayward/Theis/Rozier/Brown) were a combined minus-80 as the shorthanded hosts outplayed them with the likes of Austin Rivers and Gerald Green.

The Celtics continue their three-game road trip on Saturday night in another tough matchup against the Grizzlies.

GAME: No. 34 of 82
WHO: Celtics (20-13) vs. Rockets (18-15)
WHEN:  8:00 EST
WHERE:  Toyota Center
RADIO: 105.7 WROR
TV: TNT

First Half Notes

• Celtics come out extremely flat out of the gate on the offensive end. Rockets get into them defensively in the halfcourt and blow up the first few sets, which leads to some forced isos and tough shots.


• Rockets come out rolling immediately, focusing on getting James Harden into switches. Nearly everyone gets a crack at him on the Celtics roster in the first 12 minutes and Harden has his way with all of them.


• Hayward, in particular, plays some good defense in iso situations against Harden but he drilled a pair of stepback 3s in his face. He scored all 17 of his points in the first quarter.


• C's defense really gets into trouble with Daniel Theis on the floor, who really had trouble sticking with Rockets from a speed standpoint on both ends. He was a minus 15 in seven minutes, as the Rockets pushed up the lead to 17 at one point.


• Suddenly, the C's defense came alive against Harden, showing more resistance on drives to the paint and the offense picked up in pace. Marcus Morris knocked down a pair of 3s, strengthening his case to be an All-Star candidate if this type of play keeps up from him.


• Guerschon Yabusele got a few surprise minutes with Robert Williams (sore leg) out and Al Horford on a minutes limit. The second-year forward moved his feet quite well and contested Harden admirably on a couple drives while blocking one of them. One of the better stints of his Celtics career.


• Nice balance for Boston's offense with six players taking between three and seven shots as the visitors closed out the half on a 22-7 run.


• Harden, Capela and Gordon combined for 43 of Houston's 57 points.

• The Rockets will be without two starters (Chris Paul and James Ennis) for the matchup due to hamstring injuries. Both are not expected to return until some time next month. Austin Rivers will get big minutes in the absence of both after he was signed by the Rockets last week.


• James Harden will play despite dealing with a sore hamstring himself. He's stepped up his play over the past month to lead Houston to seven straight wins at home and seven wins over their last eight games.


• Al Horford will see his minutes limit increase after playing 30 minutes of the overtime win against the Sixers without any issues.


• James Harden is averaging 34.8 ppg and 7.8 apg during the month of December.