Views From the Game: Rockets Lose to Celtics in Embarrassing Fashion

The Houston Rockets fell to the shorthanded Boston Celtics at home 114-93. Here is what I saw and heard pregame, during the game, and postgame.

Jan 29, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka during a timeout against the Atlanta Hawks in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Rockets were back in action Wednesday night as they welcomed in the shorthanded Boston Celtics into the Toyota Center for their second and last matchup of the regular season.

Of course, the biggest news of the day is the looming trade deadline, as there has been a flurry of NBA trades in the last two days as teams try to get in last-minute deals to improve their team.

Pregame:

The Rockets, as of yet, have not been involved in any trades, as they are more likely to keep their current team. If they were to make any moves, it would be in the buyout market. Before the game, Ime Udoka talked about tonight's matchup and the trade deadline.

Rockets on SI asked Udoka about the trade deadline and how his players are handling the uncertainty.

"Some of our veterans have been through it quite a bit now, and it's not like we are expecting to do a whole lot if anything, and so for us it's not a big deal."

The Celtics, on the second night of a back-to-back, sat several starters, including Jaylen Brown, which should play into the Rockets' favor, but as we have seen this season, anything can happen in the NBA on a game-by-game basis.

Rockets vs. Celtics

Anytime you are facing a shorthanded team, you know they will come out and play with no pressure. That can be dangerous for the opposing team, and early in the game, the Celtics went basket-for-basket with the Rockets.

The Rockets struggled from the field in the first quarter, shooting just 33% and scoring 17 points. Luckily, the Celtics weren't much better, scoring only 18 points in the first quarter.

The second quarter was more of the same: neither team could get anything going, and the Rockets' cold shooting left them trailing the shorthanded Celtics 49-42.

That is as close as the Rockets would get in Wednesday evening's game, as they were thoroughly outplayed in the second half, so much so that the game was over in the third quarter. Both

Alperen Sengun and Ime Udoka were ejected in the third quarter, and the Rockets went on to lose embarrassingly, 114-93.

The biggest question after the game was what happened? Following the loss, Udoka, Kevin Durant, and Reed Sheppard all spoke with the media.

Postgame:

Rockets on SI asked both Udoka and Durant what the team can do to combat opponents sagging into the paint, specifically off of Amen Thompson, and taking away passing and driving lanes.

Here is what Durant feels the Rockets need to do more of when teams are trying to take away the paint.

"Utilize that gravity little bit more when you guys playing off you need to set screens and guys can get open shots that way."

Udoka echoed those same thoughts. "Less handling playing more off all screening"

The Rockets know that teams will continue to deploy that strategy until the Rockets prove they can figure it out. The Rockets, as of this writing, have not made any moves, so for now, the same team that took the court Wednesday will be the same one taking the court Thursday against the Charlotte Hornets.