National Basketball Association
Boston 116, Houston 107
When: 7:00 PM ET, Sunday, January 21, 2024
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials:
#16 David Guthrie, #49 Tom Washington, #65 Nate Green
Attendance:
18055
By Field Level Media
Kristaps Porzingis scored a game-high 32 points while Jaylen Brown added a triple-double as the visiting Boston Celtics outlasted the short-handed Houston Rockets 116-107 on Sunday.
Porzingis finished 6-for-11 from behind the arc as the Celtics went 17-for-47 from deep as a team. Brown had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists and Derrick White finished with 21 points and 11 boards for Boston, which was without Jrue Holiday (elbow) and Al Horford (rest).
The Rockets were without starters Fred VanVleet (back) and Jabari Smith Jr. (ankle). Rookies Amen Thompson, who had career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Cam Whitmore were inserted into the starting lineup, and the Rockets produced a valiant effort, closing within 93-90 when Dillon Brooks (25 points) scored with 9:13 to play.
But Whitmore missed two free throws and Porzingis answered with a midrange jumper before Payton Pritchard nailed a corner 3-pointer that enabled the Celtics to reclaim control for good.
Alperen Sengun notched a triple-double for Houston with 24 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Houston, having trailed by 17 points in the first half, pulled within 85-80 when Aaron Holiday buried a 3-pointer with 2:25 left in the third quarter. But the Celtics extended their lead back to double digits entering the fourth when Brown sank a floater and White drilled a step-back 3-pointer with 31.9 seconds left in the third.
Back-to-back Porzingis threes provided the Celtics with their first double-digit lead at 18-8 with 5:52 remaining in the first quarter.
Porzingis tallied 15 points in the first period to help Boston grab a 35-25 advantage, but Houston kept clawing despite its short-handed rotation. Jalen Green followed his circus layup with another bucket in the paint to pull the Rockets within 44-39 with 7:39 remaining in the second quarter.
But the Celtics surged to a 17-point lead behind triples from Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Porzingis. White, meanwhile, scored in the paint four times down the stretch of the first half, and his 12-foot floater with 2.4 seconds left extended the Boston lead to 70-55 at intermission.
Porzingis and White combined for 36 first-half points, and Boston did additional damage on the offensive glass by converting nine offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Boston |
|
Houston |
|
Kristaps Porzingis 32 |
Scoring |
Dillon Brooks 25 |
|
Jaylen Brown 10 |
Assists |
Alperen Sengun 10 |
|
Jaylen Brown 11 |
Rebounds |
Amen Thompson 14 |
|
Jayson Tatum 9 |
Free Throws Made |
Amen Thompson 5 |
|
Jaylen Brown 3 |
Steals |
Dillon Brooks 4 |
|
Kristaps Porzingis 5 |
Blocks |
Jae'Sean Tate 2 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Boston
|
116 |
43.9 |
17-47 |
13-18 |
31 |
55 |
12 |
10 |
16 |
| Houston
|
107 |
43.6 |
10-35 |
15-22 |
26 |
49 |
3 |
9 |
15 |
Upcoming Games
-
Houston will play their next game at home against Portland. The Rockets have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .381 after a loss.
-
Boston will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Celtics have a W/L % of .727 after a win and .900 after a loss.
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