A 10-0 burst decides it
Boston arrived in Houston on a five-game winning streak and left with a 109-93 loss. For three quarters the Celtics stayed within reach, then the Rockets shut the door with a 10-0 run in the fourth.
Houston’s lead had been 82-73 entering the final period, and Boston cut it to 13 at one point before the run began. Marcus Smart hit two threes, Reed Sheppard added one and a layup, and Alperen Sengun finished the stretch with a hook shot that made it 97-79. Amen Thompson capped the night with a dunk off a Sengun assist with 2:29 left.
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Sengun leads a balanced Houston effort
Sengun finished with 26 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Jabari Smith Jr. had 14 points and 10 rebounds, Thompson scored 14, and Tari Eason gave the bench 13 points and two blocks. Kevin Durant added 12, including the only shot he took after halftime, a make that put Houston up 82-73. The Rockets shot 54.4 percent and won the paint 50-34. They have won seven of their last eight.
The game started with Eason hitting back-to-back threes for a 25-15 Houston lead. Boston answered with a 14-4 run to tie it at 29 after one. Houston led by as many as 11 three times in the second quarter, and a late Jayson Tatum three trimmed it to 57-50 at the break. Both teams combined to shoot 12 of 39 from deep in the first half.
Tatum had 19 points and 9 assists but missed 11 of his 16 shots. Neemias Queta scored 16 with 6 rebounds, and Luka Garza hit four threes for 14 off the bench.
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