Everything you need to know about the Rockets' 116-105 win over the Celtics with BSJ insight and analysis:
Box Score
HEADLINES
Westbrook/Harden snap winning streak: The Celtics’ seven-game winning streak came to an end on Tuesday night at the hands of James Harden (42 points) and Russell Westbrook (36 points). The two All-Stars carried the Rockets to a 116-105 win largely on the strength of their ability to draw fouls. The pair was efficient from the field all night but managed to combine for 31 free throw attempts themselves, helping the Rockets pull away late with am 18-9 run. The hosts shot just 42.9 percent from the field but shot a season-high 42 free throws for a Celtic opponent, easily outpacing the C’s in that area.
Gordon Hayward (20 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists) was one of six different C’s in double figures, but it was a sloppy game for Boston’s offense with 18 turnovers and just 24 assists, with Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum both shooting below 33 percent from the field.
Boston now heads back home for one final matchup before the All-Star Break with the Clippers on Thursday night.
Jaylen Brown gets hurt again: The swingman gutted out a sprained ankle injury to score 19 points in this one but came up lame in the final two minutes after getting kicked in the calf. He suffered just a bruise according to Brad Stevens and Brown told reporters in Houston that he hoped to play the team’s final game on Thursday against the Clippers before the All-Star break.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics trimmed an eight-point Rockets lead to two midway through the fourth quarter, but that’s the last time they seriously threatened in this one, as the Rockets closed the game out on a 20-11 run, which included an 8-0 stretch that caused Stevens to wave the white flag with one minute remaining.
TWO UP
Brad Wanamaker: The veteran guard was a team-high plus 7 in the 11-point loss, giving the C’s 11 points off the bench on 5-of-9 shooting. He also added three assists and picked the pocket of Westbrook on a couple of occasions in the first half. The C’s offense ran with good flow with him on the floor.
Gordon Hayward: Hayward scored 15 of his team-high 20 points in the second half and also dished out a team-best six assists while keeping the C’s offense rolling for much of the second half. His attacks of the basket was one of the only things providing reliable offense in this matchup.
TWO DOWN
Kemba Walker: Rough shooting night for the All-Star, who went an ugly 5-of-18 from the field and finished with a team-worst minus-24. He also struggled on the defensive end whenever matched up with Harden/Westbrook.
Jayson Tatum: A rare offensive dud from the third-year forward, who struggled mightily from the 3-point line (0-of-7) and the free-throw line (5-of-9) in the loss.
TOP PLAY
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 12, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Enes Kanter shouldn’t have played at all tonight: The Celtics’ backup center is one of the best rebounding bigs in the NBA but with Houston putting five shooters on the floor at all times in this one, Kanter was just a massive liability on the defensive end. Brad Stevens only played him for eight minutes, but his presence stretched the C’s defense thin in an already tough matchup and provided little advantage on the offensive end, as Kanter failed to score twice in the post against PJ Tucker. Kanter has some important value to this team against true bigs, but in a game like this against a gimmicky lineup, forcing him out there was just a poor choice for Stevens.
Fouling too much has been a sneaky problem for this group all year: The Celtics have few weaknesses as a team from a statistical standpoint this year, but they rank 19th in the NBA in free throw attempts per game allowed (23.5) and that’s a number that is set to go up after the Rockets' parade to the charity stripe on Tuesday. Harden and Westbrook are two of the best players in the league at getting to the line, but the C’s were far too undisciplined at times in this matchup, biting constantly on pump fakes and reaching in while the officials were calling a relatively tight game. Nearly every one of Boston’s young players had a costly miscue in this one and they were exposed by savvy veterans. Look for this to be an area of a focus for this group moving forward.