Game ID: 22300542
Houston Rockets @ Boston Celtics
Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 35 34 43 33 145HOU 31 27 28 27 113
BOS vs HOU ScoutingBOS vs HOU Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BOS availability going into 1/06 · back-to-backBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 19 min since (129% of 15)
BOS availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 18 min since (125% of 15)
NEW Brissett 10 to 18 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
NEW Brissett 10 to 19 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Queta missed 3 since 1/06, returns tonight: 13 min (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
NEW Horford 28 to 33 min over the last 3
BOS availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 1/13, returns tonight: 12 min (108% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/19 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 12 min since (111% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/21 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 12 min since (111% of 11)
HOU availability going into 1/06 · back-to-backOUT Brooks missed 5 since 12/27, out tonight
BACK Whitmore back 12/27 after 2, 14 min since (76% of 19)
BACK Landale back 12/27 after 2, 8 min since (59% of 14)
NEW Tate 16 to 28 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Brooks missed 6 since 12/27, out tonight
NEW Je. Green 17 to 23 min over the last 5
NEW Tate 16 to 27 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Brooks missed 7 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
NEW Tate 16 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Brooks missed 8 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Landale missed 3 since 1/06, out tonight
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Je. Green 17 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Tate 16 to 25 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/13 · back-to-backOUT Brooks missed 9 since 12/27, returns tonight: 25 min (81% of 31)
OUT Landale missed 4 since 1/06, returns tonight: 12 min (88% of 14)
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Tate 16 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Brooks back 1/13 after 9, 25 min since (81% of 31)
BACK Landale back 1/13 after 4, 12 min since (88% of 14)
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 38 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restBACK Brooks back 1/13 after 9, 28 min since (91% of 31)
BACK Landale back 1/13 after 4, 10 min since (76% of 14)
HOU availability going into 1/20 · 2 days' restBACK Brooks back 1/13 after 9, 32 min since (104% of 31)
BACK Landale back 1/13 after 4, 10 min since (76% of 14)
HOU availability going into 1/21 · back-to-backOUT Landale missed 2 since 1/17, returns tonight: 11 min (80% of 14)
BACK Brooks back 1/13 after 9, 33 min since (106% of 31)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 29 free throws a game; Tatum at 30 and Brown at 26 a game. One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 117, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Ja. Green at 19 a game. Without Brooks (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 38 percent from three to Houston's 32 and the line, where Boston takes 29 free throws a game to Houston's 24. Call it Boston 119, Houston 111.
1/06 @ IND 118-101 — BOS notes
BOS won 118-101. BOS shot 51% (46 of 90) to IND's 41%, 16 of 41 from three. BOS turned it over 17 times to IND's 9, and IND turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 56-38 for them. Tatum led with 38 (14 of 23, 8 of 13 from three); Brown added 31, Horford 10. The hinge was Q4, 34-20: a lead of 3 became 17. White was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/08 @ IND 131-133 — BOS notes
BOS lost 131-133. BOS shot 52% (47 of 90) to IND's 53%, 17 of 35 from three, and went to the line 29 times to IND's 22 — 20 points from the stripe to their 18. J. Brown led with 40 (17 of 26, 3 of 4 from three); Holiday added 21, Porziņģis 19. Q2 was theirs, 34-26, but the other 3 periods went 107-97 against them. They led by as many as 11. Horford's -9 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/10 vs MIN 127-120 — BOS notes
BOS won 127-120 in 1 overtime. BOS shot 43% (39 of 90) to MIN's 46%, 19 of 47 from three, and went to the line 31 times to MIN's 20 — 30 points from the stripe to their 18. Tatum led with 45 (13 of 26, 6 of 11 from three, 13 of 14 at the line); Brown added 35, Holiday 12. The hinge was OT1, 16-9: from level to 7 ahead. White was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
1/11 @ MIL 102-135 — BOS notes
BOS lost 102-135. BOS shot 37% (34 of 91) to MIL's 57%, 9 of 35 from three, and went to the line 30 times to MIL's 16 — 25 points from the stripe to their 13. The glass went 31-54 against them. Pritchard led with 21 (6 of 13, 2 of 9 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Hauser added 15, Brissett 13. Q4 was theirs, 32-24, the deficit cut from 41 to 33, but the other 3 periods went 111-70 against them. Holiday's -31 in 19 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/13 vs HOU 145-113 — BOS notes
BOS won 145-113. BOS shot 54% (51 of 95) to HOU's 40%, 24 of 47 from three. Brown led with 32 (11 of 15, 4 of 6 from three, 6 of 10 at the line); Tatum added 27, Pritchard 19. The hinge was Q3, 43-28: a lead of 11 became 26, and the lead reached 36. White was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
1/15 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 131, shooting 54 percent and 44 from three, 22 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Barrett at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Poeltl (3 straight), Freeman-Liberty (37 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brown at 30 and Tatum at 29 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 120 a night to Toronto's 131 and the glass, where Boston has been minus-1 a night and Toronto minus-6. Call it Boston 123, Toronto 119, Toronto keeping it close.
1/17 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 119, shooting 46 percent and 42 from three, 28 free throws a game; Brown at 29 and Tatum at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 23 and Johnson at 15 a game. Without Collins (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 111 a night to Boston's 119 and the arc, Boston at 42 percent from three to San Antonio's 37. Call it Boston 120, San Antonio 114.
1/19 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 42 from three, 26 free throws a game; Brown at 24 and Tatum at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 55 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Murray at 23 and Jokić at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Boston minus-2 and the turnovers, Denver giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 118, Denver 114, Denver keeping it close.
1/21 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 123, shooting 44 percent and 28 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and Ja. Green at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Tatum at 20 and Brown at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 40 percent from three to Houston's 28 and the defense, Boston allowing 109 a night to Houston's 123. Call it Boston 116, Houston 112, Houston keeping it close.
1/06 vs MIL 112-108 — HOU notes
HOU won 112-108. HOU shot 43% (36 of 83) to MIL's 46%, 13 of 34 from three, and got to the line 32 times to MIL's 42. Sengun led with 21 (7 of 21, 7 of 10 at the line); Je. Green added 16, Ja. Green 16. The hinge was Q1, 29-18: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 21.
1/08 @ MIA 113-120 — HOU notes
HOU lost 113-120. HOU shot 42% (37 of 88) to MIA's 50%, 14 of 41 from three. VanVleet led with 32 (10 of 22, 7 of 14 from three); Sengun added 22, Ja. Green 11. Q2 was theirs, 32-25, the deficit cut from 7 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 95-81 against them. Smith Jr.'s -11 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/10 @ CHI 119-124 — HOU notes
HOU lost 119-124 in 1 overtime. HOU shot 48% (48 of 101) to CHI's 44%, 11 of 45 from three. Sengun led with 25 (11 of 19, 0 of 3 from three, 3 of 8 at the line); VanVleet added 20, Smith Jr. 18. Q4 was theirs, 29-18, the deficit cut from 11 to 0, but the other 4 periods went 106-90 against them. Tate's -13 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/12 @ DET 112-110 — HOU notes
HOU won 112-110. HOU shot 46% (41 of 90) to DET's 50%, 8 of 30 from three, and went to the line 25 times to DET's 16 — 22 points from the stripe to their 10. HOU turned it over 9 times to DET's 14. Sengun led with 29 (12 of 19, 5 of 7 at the line); Ja. Green added 28, VanVleet 20. The hinge was Q2, 32-25: HOU came in trailing by 7 and left it level. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/13 @ BOS 113-145 — HOU notes
HOU lost 113-145. HOU shot 40% (40 of 99) to BOS's 54%, 7 of 30 from three. Whitmore led with 22 (7 of 13, 2 of 7 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Sengun added 19, Brooks 12. Q1 was theirs, 31-35, but the other 3 periods went 110-82 against them. Smith Jr.'s -20 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/15 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 43 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Maxey at 26 and Harris at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Embiid (3 straight), Covington (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 121, shooting 44 percent and 29 from three, 27 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and VanVleet at 18 a game. One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-0 a night and Philadelphia minus-9 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 115 a night to Houston's 121. Call it Philadelphia 117, Houston 112.
1/17 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 102, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Randle at 26 and Brunson at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Brunson (2 straight), Robinson (19 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 125, shooting 45 percent and 28 from three, 27 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Ja. Green at 17 a game. One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 102 a night to Houston's 125 and the arc, New York at 35 percent from three to Houston's 28. Call it New York 117, Houston 109.
1/20 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 122, shooting 45 percent and 26 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 22 and Ja. Green at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. 2 days' rest. Utah comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 132 a night and allowing 118, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 32 free throws a game; Markkanen at 27 and Sexton at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Hendricks (3 straight), Horton-Tucker (7 straight), Juzang (17 straight). One day's rest.
So: Utah wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Utah at 41 percent from three to Houston's 26 and the glass, where Utah has been plus-9 a night and Houston minus-2. Call it Utah 120, Houston 116, Houston keeping it close.
1/21 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 123, shooting 44 percent and 28 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and Ja. Green at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 109, shooting 44 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Tatum at 20 and Brown at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 40 percent from three to Houston's 28 and the defense, Boston allowing 109 a night to Houston's 123. Call it Boston 116, Houston 112, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
LS L. Stevens
OB O. Brissett
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
SM S. Mykhailiuk
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
BM B. Marjanović
CW C. Whitmore
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
JG Je. Green
NW N. Williams
RB R. Bullock Jr.
BOS/HOU the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Celtics light up Udoka, Rockets 145-113, improve to 19-0 in Boston
BOSTON -- — If Jayson Tatum wants to argue with the referees during a 30-point blowout, that’s OK with Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla.
“I’m a pretty self-aware person. I understand the time and score of the game,” Tatum said after he was ejected on back-to-back technical fouls in the fourth quarter of Boston's 145-113 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday. “The game was pretty much over. I’ve got to stand up for myself."
Tatum had 27 points and eight rebounds before being ejected for the second time in six weeks, and Boston remained unbeaten at home by beating the Rockets and ex-coach Ime Udoka. Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and the Celtics improved to 19-0 in the TD Garden – the first time in the history of the much-decorated franchise that it has opened a season with more than 17 wins in a row.
“In the NBA you have that space of having to defend yourself, and for me having to defend my guys,” Mazzulla said. “There’s a time and a place for everything, and you’ve just got to pick and choose your spots.”
Cam Whitmore scored 22 points and Alperen Sengun had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who have lost three of their last four to drop their record to 19-19. They won just 22 games all last season.
Tatum picked up his first technical for complaining about a non-call when his arm was clearly hit during an attempted dunk with 10:17 left in the fourth quarter and Boston leading 117-90. He continued to complain while Aaron Holiday took the foul shot and picked up a second T, then walked over to point at and shout at referee CJ Washington before walking off the court.
“I was frustrated,” Tatum said. “At some point throughout the course of the night, you’ve got to stand up for yourself. This is not an every game thing or every night. ... Tonight I just kind of had to let him know I felt.”
Asked about the non-call, Mazzulla said, “When it comes to stuff like that, I try not to have an opinion.”
Coming off a 33-point loss to Milwaukee on Thursday, the Celtics returned to Boston and extended their home winning streak to 26 consecutive regular-season games dating to last March. They did lose in the TD Garden in last year’s playoffs, including Miami’s Game 7 win in the Eastern Conference finals.
“Last game we didn't feel like we were at our best,” Brown said. “Today we wanted to come out and make sure we stayed undefeated tonight on our home court.”
The Rockets led by six points in the first quarter and still trailed just 51-50 midway through the second before Boston scored 18 of the next 24 points to take a double-digit lead into halftime. Houston never got within 10 again, with Boston leading by as many as 27 points in the third quarter and 36 in the fourth.
Udoka was coaching in Boston for the first time since he was suspended , and then fired, on the eve of the 2022-23 season for inappropriate workplace behavior. Mazzulla replaced him, first as the interim coach, and then full time.
“I'm glad to see Ime back, coaching on the sideline,” said Brown, who was caught by Udoka when he fell out of bounds. “I wish those guys the best of luck.”
Udoka, who led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his only season on the Boston bench, got a mixed reaction when he was introduced before the game.
“Obviously want to get a chance to run it back with a group you feel you can build and grow with,” he said before the game. “So for me the biggest thing I would say overall is letting some people down, for sure. But we’ve talked it out … and so we move past it.”