The Boston Celtics (20-18) came out hot in Sunday night’s matchup against the Houston Rockets (11-26). The Celtics have now won 5 of their last 6 games. The Rockets, who have been struggling recently, picked up their 16th straight loss on Sunday night, holding the longest losing streak in the NBA. Having a substantial number of players out due to injuries, the Rockets were left shorthanded and unable to pick up the win.
Rockets missing a key player
The Rockets were without key players John Wall, Danuel House Jr., and Christian Wood in Sunday night’s matchup. Wall was out due to a knee injury. When in the lineup, Wall averages 21 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 6 assists. Along with Wall, House Jr. was also out due to a knee injury. House Jr. averaged 9.1 points per game, 4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. Another key player, Wood, was out due to an ankle injury. Wood normally averages 22 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists.
It was obvious in Sunday night’s matchup that the Rockets were struggling to stay in the game. Being without three key players who contribute many points each game proved to leave the Rockets at a disadvantage. Despite being without those players, some big scorers on Sunday night for the Rockets were Victor Oladipo, and Kenyon Martin Jr. Oladipo ended Sunday night’s matchup with 26 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists; Martin Jr. ended the night with 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Celtics hold the lead
The Celtics held the lead for the rest of the game after the first quarter. At the end of the first, the score was 38-34 (Boston). At the end of the second quarter, the Celtics had stretched their lead to 13 points, the score being 66-53. In the first half, the Celtics had a 33-8 run. After the first half, the lead grew, ending the third quarter 104-72; the Celtics were up by 32 points. By the end of the matchup, the Celtics were up by 27 points (134-107). This was the first time the Celtics beat the Rockets in Houston since November 2015. Coming out with the win, the Celtics snapped their 7-game road losing streak. Tristan Thompson played a great defensive game for the Celtics, having 13 rebounds, making it to double digits.
Kemba Walker had a slow start in Sunday night’s game, only scoring 2 points in the first half. Following the first half, Walker put up another 14 points to end the night with 16 points. Some other key players for the Celtics on Sunday night were Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Robert Williams III. Despite having a slow start with only 5 points in the first quarter, Brown stepped it up, putting up another 16 points more in the second quarter. Brown ended the night with 22 points. Along with Brown, Tatum had a fantastic night ending with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Williams III has been showing up for the Celtics lately and did so on Sunday night. Williams III ended his night with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Up Next
The Celtics will host the Utah Jazz on Tuesday, March 16th, at 7:30 pm. The Jazz ranked No. 1 in the Western Conference has a record of (28-10).
The Rockets will host the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, March 16th, at 8:00 pm. The Hawks ranked No. 8 in the Eastern Conference have a record of (19-20).
