The Celtics fell to the Houston Rockets 114-112 at TD Garden, but I’m not too worked up about this loss. Despite being shorthanded without Derrick White, Sam Hauser, and Al Horford, Boston put up a solid fight against the Western Conference’s second seed.
The story of the night was Dillon Brooks’ unbelievable shooting performance. He went 10-of-15 from three-point range, matching his total made threes from his previous seven games combined. It was one of those nights where you just have to tip your cap to an opponent’s hot hand.
We were in a good position, up 12 in the fourth quarter, but the Rockets kept coming. Amen Thompson joined Brooks in having a career night, as the two combined for 69 points - way above their season average of 26.
Shorthanded and Searching
With key players out, we had to get creative with lineups. The Celtics tried a Xavier Tillman-Neemias Queta frontcourt in the first quarter, which didn’t pan out as hoped. In hindsight, that stretch might have been a turning point, allowing Houston to stay close when we could have built a lead.
The timeout situation also became tricky. Joe Mazzulla used two early timeouts in the first quarter, leaving us with just two for the fourth. This limited our options down the stretch when the Rockets made their run.
Execution and Fatigue
We had some uncharacteristic turnovers, coughing it up 15 times for 21 Rockets points. Fatigue likely played a role, affecting decision-making as the game wore on. There were good looks for Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday late that just didn’t fall.
Despite the loss, I saw a lot of fight from our guys. Jayson Tatum went scoreless in the first half but came alive for 19 in the second. Luke Kornet had a strong game with 18 points. Payton Pritchard kept us in it, shooting 5-of-6 from three.
We’ll regroup and look ahead to our upcoming games against Chicago and New Orleans. For more insights and a deeper dive into this game, tune into the Locked On Celtics podcast for this and much more.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Celtics Podcast:
• Joe Mazzulla’s timeout management and late-game strategy
• Jaylen Brown’s up-and-down performance
• Xavier Tillman’s struggles to find his role
