Game ID: 22300603
Boston Celtics @ Houston Rockets
Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 25 30 25 27 107BOS 35 35 20 26 116
BOS @ HOU ScoutingBOS @ 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.
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)
HOU availability going into 1/24 · 2 days' restBACK Brooks back 1/13 after 9, 34 min since (111% of 31)
BACK Landale back 1/13 after 4, 11 min since (78% of 14)
HOU availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 1/21, out tonight
BACK Landale back 1/21 after 2, 12 min since (89% of 14)
NEW Sengun 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Je. Green 17 to 22 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 1/27 · back-to-backOUT Smith Jr. missed 3 since 1/21, out tonight
BACK Landale back 1/21 after 2, 13 min since (97% of 14)
NEW Je. Green 17 to 23 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restOUT Smith Jr. missed 4 since 1/21, returns tonight: 36 min (113% of 32)
BACK Landale back 1/21 after 2, 11 min since (83% of 14)
NEW Je. Green 17 to 22 min over the last 4
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)
BOS availability going into 1/22 · back-to-backBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 8 min since (69% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/25 · 2 days' restBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 8 min since (69% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/27 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 7 min since (59% of 11)
NEW Kornet 15 to 20 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's rest
full strength
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.
1/13 @ 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 115-124 — HOU notes
HOU lost 115-124. HOU shot 50% (44 of 88) to PHI's 48%, 8 of 27 from three. Ja. Green led with 20 (7 of 16, 1 of 7 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Sengun added 19, Brooks 18. Q4 was theirs, 38-26, the deficit cut from 21 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 98-77 against them. Je. Green's -30 in 13 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/17 @ NYK 94-109 — HOU notes
HOU lost 94-109. HOU shot 42% (35 of 84) to NYK's 45%, 8 of 30 from three. The glass went 38-51 against them. VanVleet led with 24 (8 of 19, 5 of 12 from three); Sengun added 18, Ja. Green 15. Q1 was theirs, 25-23, but the other 3 periods went 86-69 against them. Smith Jr.'s -20 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/20 vs UTA 127-126 — HOU notes
HOU won 127-126 in 1 overtime. HOU shot 43% (50 of 117) to UTA's 46%, 13 of 39 from three. HOU turned it over 7 times to UTA's 17. Sengun led with 37 (15 of 26, 6 of 10 at the line); Smith Jr. added 24, VanVleet 18. The hinge was Q1, 31-24: from level to 7 ahead, and the lead reached 17.
1/21 vs BOS 107-116 — HOU notes
HOU lost 107-116. HOU shot 44% (41 of 94) to BOS's 44%, 10 of 35 from three. Brooks led with 25 (8 of 22, 5 of 15 from three); Sengun added 24, Green 16. Q3 was theirs, 25-20, the deficit cut from 15 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 96-82 against them. Whitmore's -15 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/24 vs POR — 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 124, shooting 44 percent and 29 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Brooks at 15 a game. 2 days' rest. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Grant at 26 and Brogdon at 22 a game. Without Sharpe (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Portland at 40 percent from three to Houston's 29 and the glass, where Portland has been plus-1 a night and Houston minus-3. Call it Houston 117, Portland 111.
1/26 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Miller at 24 and Ball at 23 a game. One day's rest. Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 23 free throws a game; Sengun at 26 and Ja. Green at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Smith Jr. (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, and the game turns on the arc, Charlotte at 39 percent from three to Houston's 31 and the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-0 a night and Houston minus-6. Call it Charlotte 116, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
1/27 @ BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 16 free throws a game; Bridges at 24 and Thomas at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Simmons (37 straight), Clowney (13 straight), Wilson (9 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and Ja. Green at 21 a game. Without Smith Jr. (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Brooklyn wins, and the game turns on the defense, Brooklyn allowing 109 a night to Houston's 118 and the line, where Houston takes 23 free throws a game to Brooklyn's 16. Call it Brooklyn 115, Houston 113, Houston keeping it close.
1/29 vs LAL — 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 121 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Ja. Green at 21 a game. Without Smith Jr. (4 straight). One day's rest. The Lakers come in 3-2 over their last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 129, shooting 51 percent and 42 from three, 28 free throws a game; James at 28 and Russell at 28 a game. Without Reddish (2 straight), Vincent (19 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 42 percent from three to Houston's 32 and the defense, Houston allowing 118 a night to the Lakers' 129. Call it Houston 121, the Lakers 118, the Lakers keeping it close.
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 105-96 — BOS notes
BOS won 105-96. BOS shot 40% (33 of 82) to TOR's 40%, 16 of 39 from three. BOS turned it over 12 times to TOR's 7. White led with 22 (7 of 18, 5 of 11 from three); Holiday added 22, Tatum 19. The hinge was Q1, 29-25: from level to 4 ahead. Pritchard was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
1/17 vs SAS 117-98 — BOS notes
BOS won 117-98. BOS shot 47% (42 of 90) to SAS's 42%, 18 of 38 from three. The glass went 54-41 for them. Tatum led with 24 (9 of 21, 3 of 8 from three); Holiday added 22, Brown 21. The hinge was Q2, 40-20: a lead of 5 became 25, and the lead reached 30. Hauser was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/19 vs DEN 100-102 — BOS notes
BOS lost 100-102. BOS took 8 more shots (89 to 81), fed by 12 offensive rebounds, but shot 43% to DEN's 52%, 14 of 44 from three. BOS turned it over 2 times to DEN's 9. White led with 24 (9 of 18, 5 of 12 from three); Tatum added 22, Porziņģis 21. Q2 was theirs, 29-24, but the other 3 periods went 78-71 against them. They led by as many as 12. Holiday's -12 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/21 @ HOU 116-107 — BOS notes
BOS won 116-107. BOS shot 44% (43 of 98) to HOU's 44%, 17 of 47 from three. Porziņģis led with 32 (11 of 21, 6 of 11 from three); White added 21, Tatum 18. The hinge was Q1, 35-25: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Porziņģis was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/22 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Irving at 33 and Hardaway Jr. at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Exum (8 straight). 4 days' rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 103, shooting 46 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 22 and Porziņģis at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to Dallas's 122 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-2 a night and Dallas minus-7. Call it Boston 117, Dallas 114, Dallas keeping it close.
1/25 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 107, shooting 42 percent and 30 from three, 20 free throws a game; Butler III at 20 and Herro at 20 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Jaquez Jr. (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 103, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 24 and Porziņģis at 23 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 37 percent from three to Miami's 30 and the turnovers, Miami giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 111, Miami 106.
1/27 vs LAC — 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 105, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Porziņģis at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 113, shooting 52 percent and 44 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Zubac (5 straight), Tucker (27 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 105 a night to the Clippers' 113. Call it Boston 118, the Clippers 112.
1/29 vs NOP — 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 115 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 25 and Porziņģis at 24 a game. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 121, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ingram at 20 and Williamson at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 109 a night to New Orleans's 121 and the turnovers, New Orleans giving it away 13 times a game to Boston's 9. Call it Boston 119, New Orleans 112.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CW C. Whitmore
DB D. Brooks
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JT J. Tate
NW N. Williams
BOSDW D. White
JB J. Brown
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
NQ N. Queta
OB O. Brissett
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
HOU/BOS 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
HOUSTON -- — Kristaps Porzingis scored 32 points and the NBA-leading Boston Celtics beat the short-handed Houston Rockets 116-107 on Sunday night.
The Celtics improved to 33-10, rebounding from their first home loss of the season Friday night against Denver. Boston is 20-1 at home and 13-9 on the road.
“Each night, it can be a different guy who has a good game,” Porzingis said. “We have that trust in each other that we’re willing to sacrifice to get a guy the ball if he’s having a good night, and tonight was my night. We just took advantage of the mismatches.”
Porzingis was 11 of 20 from the field and 6 of 11 from 3-point range. He added five blocks. Derrick White had 21 points and 12 rebounds, Jayson Tatum scored 18 points on 4-of-17 shooting, and Jaylen Brown had 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his third career triple-double.
“Teams are switching on- and off-ball and pressuring us so the ability to play in the post is something we have to continue to develop for the long-term success of this team,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I thought he was great, and he stepped up tonight and played a great game.”
Dillon Brooks led Houston with 25 points, hitting 5 of 15 from 3-point range. Alperen Sengun had 24 points and Jalen Green added 16. Rookie Amen Thompson finished with 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds.
Less than 24 hours after beating Utah 127-126 in overtime, Houston played without Fred VanVleet (lower back), Jabari Smith Jr. (ankle), Jeff Green (calf), Reggie Bullock (lower back) and Tari Eason (leg).
“We played hard and played together,” Brooks said. “It’s good to know we have it in us to play at that level against one of the great teams in the NBA. We’ve got to figure out how to do it for 48 minutes.”
Boston was without Al Horford (rest) and Jrue Holiday (right elbow sprain). Holiday’s brother, Aaron, had 12 points and five assists off the bench for Houston.
The Celtics once again beat up on former coach Ime Udoka’s new team. The Celtics routed the Rockets 145-113 in Boston on Jan. 13.
“We had our chances,” Udoka said. “Our focus and attention to detail was better on certain guys. We did a decent job on Jaylen Brown and Jayson all night — it was just that the others hurt us, especially offensive rebounds from some of their bigs.”
The Celtics outrebounded the Rockets 56-49 and had 17 offensive rebounds, helping them outscore the Rockets 23-10 in second-chance points.
“It’s something we’ve stressed this year, and it’s something we’ve gotten better at,” Mazzulla said. “On nights like this, it keeps baskets alive and gives us extra possessions.”