NBA Notebook: Ime Udoka and Celtics heading in different directions in latest matchup

The Celtics and Rockets hardly resembled two teams with the same trajectory this season. One arguably added the prize of the offseason in Kevin Durant, while the other overhauled its roster and left it mostly unrecognizable from the time Ime Udoka coached in Boston. But as he strolled down the tunnel toward the visitors' locker room before his third rematch with his former team in Boston since his ousting in 2022-23, he drew a parallel between the teams. 

Just as the Celtics began figuring out life without Jayson Tatum temporarily, he mentioned the Fred VanVleet injury being as impactful on his Rockets team. As Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason and even Alperen Şengün emerged into their primes, they signed VanVleet to provide some steadiness now missing for a team trying to develop and contend simultaneously with Durant on board. They're figuring things out so quickly because Şengün ascended this past summer quicker than anyone could've imagined. His 16 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists contributed heavily to a 128-101 runaway at the Garden, the second straight win for Udoka back in the building after his Houston tenure began with three straight losses to the Celtics, two of them blowouts. 

Times have changed, and as Udoka keeps tabs on Tatum's rehab regularly, he's also impressed by the three key players he coached in 2022. Derrick White now stands day and night from the player who began his career playing for Udoka in San Antonio. Payton Pritchard reached the potential that depth in front of him prevented previously winning a Sixth Man of the Year campaign. And now Jaylen Brown takes over the team in the way that the franchise could've followed in 2022 as Udoka's staff assessed what they had in terms of playmaking between Brown and Tatum. The offense leaned toward Tatum's passing and Brown fit in more off-ball while the team clicked around defense and eventually reached the Finals. 

"He's had some really big games already," Udoka said. "Obviously last night, and I think two games ago with the 39-40 point games, he's obviously a very capable scorer. Now it's a little bit of a different thing with the game plan specifically on him, so he's gonna have to adjust to that as well as Payton and Derrick, and some of those guys, so for us, we want to make it hard anyway, but we feel like we have a really quality point of attack defender with Amen that we don't need a lot of help or have to scheme up certain things. They go to certain actions, we can do some things there, but we felt great with Amen on him. Tough night overall, but tried to swarm, make some plays and force him into five turnovers." 

Across the hall, Pritchard left the game with no takeaways other than acknowledging that the Rockets punked them. It's a phrase Udoka used when describing how his Celtics fared through a crushing loss. They dealt with many as they found themselves in 2021-22 through crunch time mishaps, collapses and roster turnover already familiar to this new-look Boston team. Joe Mazzulla and Udoka, for their differences, shared philosophies like using offensive rebounding to defend in transition. They both read from the stat sheet after games and share analytical minds. The double-big lineup featuring Steven Adams and Şengün that became a sensation and Udoka's mark on last year's Rockets return to the playoffs can trace its roots to Robert Williams III and Al Horford in Boston. 

On Saturday, the Celtics tried to utilize Neemias Queta and Chris Boucher opposite of that tandem to minimal success. The offensive rebounds from Boston's three-game win streak dried up, the Rockets amassed a 35-7 free-throw shooting advantage, and became the latest team to shut off the Celtics' three-point attack that pales in comparison so far to recent years. Nobody around the Celtics sounded the alarm on Pritchard's 18% start to the season from three due to his impact in other areas. White fell to 30.8% FG and 25% from deep, a shocking slide from the third quarter on opening night, where he appeared poised for a breakout season in a new role. It doesn't happen that quickly. 

"When we got him that year, it was probably a big adjustment for him," Udoka said. "Moving for the first time, getting traded and so I knew he'd obviously settle into a bigger role and you can see his confidence grow even in the early years in San Antonio. So a much different player, seasoned, been around the league now and he's only taken off on both ends of the floor." 

Familiar faces still fill the Rockets' locker room from Garrett Jackson, an assistant from Udoka's Boston stint, who caught up with Brad Stevens on the court before the game. Ben Sullivan, who helped with White's shooting when he arrived, worked out early with Thompson. Mike Moser, who used to guard Tatum in shootarounds and practices, received a promotion with David Adelman's Denver Nuggets this summer. JD Davison joined the Rockets, a deal long in the works as his agent became aware that he wouldn't remain with the Celtics despite earning a partially guaranteed two-year deal at the end of last season. He spoke thrilled about his new opportunity before the game and thrived in the preseason.

The Rockets' locker room features an interesting cast of characters ranging from Davison, now 23 and trying to break through, to Durant and Jeff Green, two of the four players left from the 2007 draft class alongside Horford and Mike Conley. Jrue Holiday's brother Aaron Holiday remains a beloved bench playmaker, Reed Sheppard stepped into an almost immediately massive role after an effective redshirt rookie year once VanVleet went down. Josh Okogie started after splitting time between Phoenix and Charlotte last year. Dorian Finney-Smith joined from LA and fell injured over the summer. Clint Capela returned to where he thrived early in his career to play tertiary center minutes. 

This team began the season watching the Thunder raise a banner, in Adams and Green's case, or avoiding it in the locker room and using it as inspiration. Udoka found more inspiration two weeks later, trying to extend a winning streak against his former team after last year's Thompson game-winner marked a formative moment for the young team. He showed the Rockets video of how that game finished and told them they wouldn't need it on Saturday. 

Amazingly, they appeared in a different class than the Celtics, even if Boston returned home for a fifth game in seven nights.

"I saw the Rockets play really well, and I saw us play not as well," Mazzulla said. 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (3-3): Trae Young will miss at least four weeks with a right MCL sprain, but dodged major structural damage based upon multiple assessments of Young's knee after a collision with teammate Mo Gueye under the net in Brooklyn. Kristaps Porziņģis returned from an illness to score 27 points at Chicago, 14 in Brooklyn and 15 at Indiana as Atlanta took two of its last three games. Nickeil Alexander-Walker slid into the starting lineup next to Dyson Daniels in Young's absence. 

Boston (3-4): Jaylen Brown led a three-game win streak after the Celtics started the season 0-3, scoring at least 30 points in back-to-back games against the Cavs and Sixers despite a nagging hamstring injury keeping him on the injury report. He seemed lined up for rest during a back-to-back in New Orleans, but played through for 24 minutes in the Celtics' first win of the season. They suffered their worst loss on Saturday against the Rockets before they'll continue their home stand against the Jazz on Monday and Wizards on Wednesday. Josh Minott joined the starting lineup in place of Sam Hauser for an improved rebounding stretch and three straight wins. He missed three shots late in a near collapse against the Sixers alongside two free throws, and received some encouragement from rookie Hugo González after. Derrick White (25% 3PT) and Payton Pritchard (18% 3PT) have struggled immensely from deep to begin the season. 

Charlotte (2-4): LaMelo Ball received a $35,000 fine for flipping off a referee after a 27-point loss to the Heat last Wednesday. He's averaging 23.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 9.8 APG on 43% shooting to begin his sixth NBA season. 

Chicago (5-0): Not the team everyone saw leading the NBA through two weeks. Their 5-0 start marks the best for the Bulls since 1996-97 when Michael Jordan played for the team and began his fifth championship campaign. Nobody would mistake this roster for that one, though Josh Giddey continued a strong run from late last regular season after signing a four-year contract late in the offseason. He's averaging 22 points, 8.8 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. 

Cleveland (3-3): Looked lethargic and grabbed only two offensive rebounds in the first half against the Celtics, who ranked among the worst defensive rebounding teams to that point. Donovan Mitchell (hamstring) appeared late on the injury report before the game, which became a 125-105 rout where he scored only 15 points in 32 minutes. He sat out an ensuing loss at home to the Raptors as injuries mount already for Cleveland, though Darius Garland (toe) is nearing a return. Sam Merrill (hip) missed the last two games after a scorching (51.4% 3PT) start to the year.

Dallas (2-4): Anthony Davis (calf) will miss at least two games, further pressuring a Mavs offense already struggling to begin a continued life without Kyrie Irving (ACL). Cooper Flagg (37.3% FG, 28.6% 3PT) continued to struggle to shoot while Max Christie, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford rounded out an attempt at a more offensive unit with Davis and Dereck Lively II (knee) out for a third straight game. The Mavs rank last in offense by nearly 2.0 points per 100 possessions. 

Detroit (4-2): Jalen Duren scored a career-high 33 points to down the Mavs in Mexico City after a 21-point double-double over the Magic and 24 points with 18 rebounds in a closing stretch over the Celtics where Detroit grabbed offensive rebounds on five straight possessions. Cade Cunningham (40.2% FG, 27.0% 3PT) has struggled with shooting and turnovers, but again ranks among the league leaders with 9.8 APG. 

Golden State (4-3): Lost to a badly injured Pacers team after a defeat against the Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo, receiving only 10 combined points at center between Draymond Green, Al Horford and Quentin Post. That number reached 21 at Indiana, though none of the three reached double-figures individually alongside the four starters who did. Golden State ranks 17th in offense. 

“Everything went wrong,” Steve Kerr said in Indiana. “We didn’t execute on offense, we didn’t execute on defense. We fouled, we turned it over, we didn’t deserve it. (The Pacers) played great.”

Houston (3-2): Kevin Durant scored 26 points on 8-for-11 shooting as the Rockets won their third straight game. They've thrived offensively, posting 137, 139 and 128 points during the streak and finding their stride sooner than expected without Fred VanVleet. Durant discussed his Achilles recovery with CLNS Media and how it compared to what Jayson Tatum's going through. JD Davison made his second regular-season appearance playing on a two-way deal for Houston in his return to Boston. He's been active in all five Rockets games so far. 

Indiana (1-5): Scored their first win over the Warriors, but received more devastating injury news when Obi Toppin (foot) suffered a stress fracture that'll require surgery and leave him sidelined through at least February. Toppin joins Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles), Andrew Nembhard (shoulder), Bennedict Mathurin (hip) and TJ McConnell (hamstring) on the sideline, constituting more than half of the rotation that drove Indiana to the NBA Finals in June. Aaron Nesmith (31 points) led the offense in their absence alongside fellow starters Quentin Jackson, Jarace Walker, Pascal Siakam and Isaiah Jackson as this became a more apparent reset year for the franchise.

Clippers (3-2): Kawhi Leonard hit a game-winning shot to escape with a win over the Pelicans after a 79 point showing at Golden State for the Clippers offense. Leonard scored 34 points to carry LA in the ensuing win that still only featured five double-figure scorers. 

Lakers (4-2): Luka Dončić scored 44 points in 39 minutes in his return from a finger and lower body injury, shooting 14-for-27 and now scoring 43 points or more in all three appearances this season, something he joked that he probably won't be able to keep up. He's shooting 58.4% from the field and 35.1% from deep across those appearances. Austin Reaves also continued his tear with 21 points over the Grizzlies, averaging 32.0 PPG to sustain the Lakers through Dončić's three-game absence and LeBron James (sciatica) missing until at least mid-November. 

Memphis (3-3): Suspended Ja Morant for one game for conduct detrimental to the team, according to ESPN, over his tone used in response to a challenge by head coach Tuomas Iisalo. The Grizzlies have gotten off to an uneven start while Morant averaged 20.8 PPG on 40.6% shooting (15.6% 3PT) following a preseason ankle injury. He shot 3-for-14 in their latest loss to the Lakers, which drew a rebuke from Iisalo in front of the team. Iisalo took over for Taylor Jenkins midway through last season after arguably the most surprising coach firing of the year. 

"According to [the coaching staff], probably don't play me, honestly," Morant said after the game. "That's basically what the message was. It's cool."

New Orleans (0-5): Willie Green could become the first coach fired after another frustrating start to the season for the Pelicans. New Orleans has reportedly already had internal discussions about moving on from Green, who posted a promising playoff appearance in his first season and 49-33 record in 2024 before losing 61 games last year through drove of injuries. The Pelicans are 148-185 under Green. Zion Williamson (foot) became a late surprise scratch against the Celtics, but returned after one game and has now scored at least 27 points in three of his four games. 

New York (2-3): Josh Hart (finger) is not considering surgery despite a frustrating start to the season where he's shot 21.1% from the field and has only scored 11 points combined across four appearances in a new role off the bench. Mike Brown tried Ariel Hukporti again before going with Landry Shamet in losses to the Heat and Bucks, respectively, before Mitchell Robinson (ankle) returned for his season debut and New York still lost to Chicago despite 20-point performances from Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges. The Knicks rank 19th in offense and 15th in defense while also struggling to build the consistent depth contributions that many projected following a coaching change and offseason additions. 

Oklahoma City (6-0): Undefeated despite Jalen Williams' (wrist) continued absence, which will continue after a follow-up procedure that'll knock him out of at least an additional 10-14 days. Doctors removed a screw from his wrist that caused irritation as he worked toward a return. Second year wing Ajay Mitchell emerged in Williams' absence, averaging 18.5 PPG off the bench. Nikola Topić, who hoped to begin his first NBA season after missing last year following a pre-draft ACL tear, began chemotherapy treatment for testicular cancer, the Thunder announced. He underwent a biopsy that revealed the condition last month, and Sam Presti said doctors are optimistic about his outlook. Oklahoma City drafted Topić, 20, from Serbia with the No. 12 selection in the 2024 draft. 

"Our only expectations for him are to focus on this," Presti said. "This is his most important priority. He'll be back playing basketball when he's able to, but we're not putting any time length or expectations on that, obviously. He has our total support, encouragement and love."