AP/Charles Krupa
What Stood Out in the Celtics' Win VS Rockets
The Celtics entered Monday night's matchup with the Houston Rockets 7-3 in their last ten games (second-best in the East during that span), and between their stingy defense and new-found penchant for attacking the basket, their net rating rose to 6.8, the best in the East.
Rather than playing down to their opponent, losers of fourteen-straight games, Boston prioritized trying to play up to the standards they're working to establish for themselves.
Here's what stood out from the win.
A New Season's Best for Jayson Tatum
Not only did Jayson Tatum register a season-high for free-throw attempts, but he did so in the first half, getting to the line nine times in the game's first two quarters; even better, Tatum went 9/9 from the stripe. Interestingly enough, he didn't take one in the second half.
Even with Tatum not attacking the basket as much in the third and fourth quarters of a game the Celtics were firmly in command of, his first-half approach speaks to how aggressively he's playing recently. Lately, Tatum's seeking out contact rather than shying away from it when he drives to the cup. In the offseason, he again bulked up, and now, he's putting that added muscle to good use, playing more forcefully.
For those curious, Tatum's career-high in free-throw attempts came last season when he went 15/17 at the line en route to a career-high 60 points against the San Antonio Spurs. Not long after that, Tatum took a playoff-high for him, 11 free throws against the Brooklyn Nets, making nine of them.
Tatum finished the Celtics' win against the Rockets with 30 points, six rebounds, three assists, and a plus-minus rating of +23.
Though he only made one shot from beyond the arc, it was Tatum's 649th career triple, tying him with Larry Bird on the Celtics' all-time list for the most made threes in franchise history.
Jaylen Brown Sharp in His Return
Playing in his first game since Nov 4, in 23 minutes of floor time, Jaylen Brown finished with 19 points on 6/13 shooting, including 3/6 from beyond the arc, and he went 4/4 from the free-throw line, had a steal, a block, and a plus-minus rating of +21.
It was hard to spot signs of rust as Brown shot the ball well and showed off his handles and ability to get to the rim and finish in traffic. With 7:28 left in the third quarter, Brown navigated his way through traffic in transition and made a difficult layup, which he followed up by draining back-to-back threes. That 8-0 run grew the Celtics' lead to 22 points with 6:44 left in the third frame; from there, Boston never looked back.
With the Celtics rolling and Brown re-entering the mix as if he had never left, it's exciting to think about this team's potential on both ends of the floor.
Celtics Dominate the Third Quarter
Boston started the third quarter on a 24-3 run, which began with a pair of free throws by Brown 12 seconds into the period and lasted until Garrison Matthews made a three with 4:30 left in the frame to "trim" the Rockets' deficit to 23 points. The Celtics outscored Houston 34-16 in the third quarter, positioning themselves to call off the starters midway through the fourth, getting some well-deserved rest as the second unit closed out Boston's 108-90 victory.
The Celtics Didn't Play Down to Their Opponent
Monday was the Celtics' third game in four nights. On Friday, they had an emotionally-charged win against the Los Angeles Lakers. The next night, they went from enjoying a 20+-point lead to needing to bring their starters back in to close out a victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Boston could have looked at the Rockets, a team that entered the night on a fourteen-game losing streak, and chose not to put much pressure on the gas pedal.
Instead, they prioritized playing up to the standards they're trying to establish for themselves, something that stood out defensively. The Celtics entered the night allowing 97.1 points per game, the fewest in the NBA. Boston held the Rockets to 90 points on 37.3 percent shooting from the field, including 26.2 percent from beyond the arc.
Next up, the Celtics host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night.
