BSJ Game Report: Rockets 128, Celtics 101 - Rockets can't miss in rout of Celtics

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' loss to the Rockets, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

Things came easily in the first for Houston as they built a 13-point lead. Josh Minott fueled a run to keep it close, but Houston kept pushing to up the lead to 18 at halftime. It got up to 27 thanks to the Rockets' defense, which stifled Boston in the paint. The Celtics never really challenged in the second half.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Houston is huge: This is a brutal matchup for the Celtics. The height I highlighted before the game was a massive problem all night long. They are also super-athletic, so while they were able to block Celtics attempts at the rim, Boston was fouling Houston on theirs. That led to a massive disparity in free throws, but I felt like the whistle reflected what was happening. 

- Tough shooting: This applies to both ends of the floor. The Rockets' 3-point percentage stayed at about 60% the whole night (finishing at 65%) while the Celtics barely got into the low 30% range. Between the 3-point makes and the free throws, the Celtics had no chance.

- Schedule eases up: The gauntlet of the first seven games is over. Now the Celtics can get ready for Utah, Washington, and a long weekend in Orlando. 

TURNING POINT 

This is a hard one to pinpoint because it was a pretty steady march to a big lead. But I’ll start at 3:47 in the first quarter with the score 26-22, Houston. They closed the quarter on an 11-2 run to go up 13. The Celtics did try to keep it close early in the second quarter but they never got it below 12. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Josh Minott’s run in the second: He hit a 3, found Chris Boucher on a cut with pretty pass, and then put back a big offensive rebound. There wasn’t much to cheer about in this game, but that stretch was good.

- Baylor Scheierman: He shot well, 4-5 from 3, on his way to 17 points. There was a level of confidence in his shot that has been missing for a while. He’s been chipping in with some nice defensive minutes here and there recently, so maybe there's something brewing here for Scheierman. 

- Forcing turnovers: They did force 20 turnovers, scoring 23 points and winning that points off turnovers battle by 14. Some of the fouling was the result of going for steals, which is something the Celtics have to live with this season. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- They couldn't score: The Celtics worked very hard for all of their shots. They missed a lot of good looks, got a lot of attempts in the paint blocked (11, to be exact), and they couldn't get to enough of their own misses to make up for their other deficiencies. 

- Hugo Gonzalez’s foul binge: ‘Hey, 19-year-old rookie. Get in the game and cover Kevin Durant.’ That went as well as that sentence suggests it would. Gonzalez committed three fouls in five minutes and quickly had to come out of the game. Better luck next time. 

- Derrick White: This is a disaster of a start to his season. Every player goes through this from time to time, but it really sucks for White to be going through this right away. He shot just 2-11, scoring five points. Here’s hoping an easier stretch of opponents will help get him back on track. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL REGRET LATER

- This was, simply, a butt-whipping.

We make a promise at the top of every game report to provide “BSJ insight and analysis.” Well, here it is: 

The Celtics got smoked by a better team, and there was nothing they could do about it. 

“Obviously, it wasn't our night,” Joe Mazzulla said. “That happens over the course of the season, and so it'll be more important about how we respond on Monday at shoot-around and in the game on Monday night.”

The Celtics worked very hard to get the shots they got. They may have been fatigued, and maybe that played into some of their decisions and misses, but it also probably didn’t matter. The Celtics had no chance of beating the Rockets the way Houston played. 

The Celtics got roasted. End of story. 

- The opening stretch of games was a success

The way this schedule was laid out to start the season, I’ll take 3-4 with a smile. It could have been much worse, and now they have a chance to get fat on some lesser competition. 

I’m not letting this blowout change my opinion here. Anyone could see the Celtics were walking into a buzz saw. They have an opportunity to capitalize on the things they’ve done well over the next week. 

Next Up: The Celtics host the Utah Jazz on Monday night.