Kristaps Porzingis scores 32 points, NBA-leading Celtics beat Rockets 116-107
HOUSTON (AP) 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.”
UP NEXT
Celtics: At Dallas on Monday night.
Rockets: Host Portland on Wednesday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Kristaps Porzingis vs. Alperen Sengun (Dillon Brooks gains possession) | ||
| 11:48 | | Jalen Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:47 |  | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 11:37 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (bad pass) (Cam Whitmore steals) | ||
| 11:35 | | Dillon Brooks misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 11:32 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 11:27 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point running dunk (Jaylen Brown assists) | 2-0 |
| 11:17 | | Jalen Green turnover (lost ball) (Jaylen Brown steals) | ||
| 11:10 | | Sam Hauser misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 11:06 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:57 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:57 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 10:47 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 10:45 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 10:40 | | Kristaps Porzingis shooting foul (Jalen Green draws the foul) | ||
| 10:40 | | Jalen Green misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 10:40 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 10:40 | | +1 | Jalen Green makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 2-1 |
| 10:29 | | Cam Whitmore blocks Jaylen Brown's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:27 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:21 | | Dillon Brooks misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 10:20 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 10:07 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:06 | | Jalen Green defensive rebound | ||
| 9:57 | | Sam Hauser blocks Jalen Green's two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:54 | | Jalen Green offensive rebound | ||
| 9:54 | | Kristaps Porzingis blocks Alperen Sengun's two point floating jump shot | ||
| 9:48 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 9:43 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:41 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 9:25 | | Alperen Sengun misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 9:23 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 9:12 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:12 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:04 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point driving finger roll layup | 2-3 |
| 8:55 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 5-3 |
| 8:36 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point driving layup (Alperen Sengun assists) | 5-5 |
| 8:26 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Sam Hauser assists) | 8-5 |
| 8:11 | | Amen Thompson misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 8:10 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 8:01 | | Amen Thompson shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 8:01 | | Jayson Tatum misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 8:01 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 8:01 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-5 |
| 7:44 | | Alperen Sengun turnover (bad pass) (Jayson Tatum steals) | ||
| 7:44 | | Alperen Sengun personal foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 7:44 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 10-5 |
| 7:31 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:29 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 7:16 | | Derrick White blocks Dillon Brooks's two point driving layup | ||
| 7:16 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 7:14 | | Cam Whitmore misses two point jump shot | ||
| 7:12 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 6:59 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving layup | ||
| 6:57 | | Alperen Sengun defensive rebound | ||
| 6:53 | | Kristaps Porzingis blocks Dillon Brooks's two point running layup | ||
| 6:51 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 6:48 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point running finger roll layup (Sam Hauser assists) | 12-5 |
| 6:33 | | +3 | Dillon Brooks makes three point jump shot (Alperen Sengun assists) | 12-8 |
| 6:18 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:16 | | Jayson Tatum offensive rebound | ||
| 6:13 | | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 15-8 |
| 6:03 | | Jalen Green misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:00 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 5:52 | | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 18-8 |
| 5:51 | | Rockets 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:51 | | Rockets delay of game violation | ||
| 5:33 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point turnaround hook shot | 18-10 |
| 5:17 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:16 | | Kristaps Porzingis offensive rebound | ||
| 5:16 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses two point tip layup | ||
| 5:16 | | Kristaps Porzingis offensive rebound | ||
| 5:15 | | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point tip layup | 20-10 |
| 4:53 | | Jalen Green misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 4:53 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 4:42 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point pullup jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 22-10 |
| 4:33 | | Luke Kornet shooting foul (Amen Thompson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:33 | | +1 | Amen Thompson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 22-11 |
| 4:33 | | +1 | Amen Thompson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-12 |
| 4:15 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:15 | | Aaron Holiday defensive rebound | ||
| 4:07 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point driving layup (Amen Thompson assists) | 22-14 |
| 3:57 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:57 | | Sam Hauser offensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Sam Hauser assists) | 25-14 |
| 3:36 | | +2 | Aaron Holiday makes two point driving floating jump shot | 25-16 |
| 3:10 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:10 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 3:10 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point tip layup | 27-16 |
| 2:53 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point turnaround hook shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 27-18 |
| 2:39 | | Aaron Holiday shooting foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 2:39 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:39 | | +1 | Kristaps Porzingis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 28-18 |
| 2:39 | | +1 | Kristaps Porzingis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 29-18 |
| 2:20 | | +2 | Nate Williams makes two point driving floating jump shot (Dillon Brooks assists) | 29-20 |
| 2:02 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving floating jump shot | 31-20 |
| 1:53 | | +2 | Aaron Holiday makes two point driving reverse layup | 31-22 |
| 1:38 | | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point turnaround bank jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 33-22 |
| 1:25 | | +3 | Dillon Brooks makes three point jump shot (Aaron Holiday assists) | 33-25 |
| 1:07 | | Jayson Tatum turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 0:51 | | Luke Kornet blocks Jae'Sean Tate's two point turnaround hook shot | ||
| 0:51 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 0:51 | | Aaron Holiday personal foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 0:29 | | Dillon Brooks shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 0:29 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-25 |
| 0:29 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-25 |
| 0:15 | | Dillon Brooks misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:13 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | Jae'Sean Tate blocks Jayson Tatum's two point driving layup | ||
| 0:00 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:42 | | Derrick White turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 11:22 | | Derrick White shooting foul (Dillon Brooks draws the foul) | ||
| 11:22 | | +1 | Dillon Brooks makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 35-26 |
| 11:22 | | +1 | Dillon Brooks makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-27 |
| 11:07 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point finger roll layup (Oshae Brissett assists) | 37-27 |
| 10:55 | | +2 | Aaron Holiday makes two point driving layup | 37-29 |
| 10:42 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:41 | | Oshae Brissett offensive rebound | ||
| 10:30 | | +2 | Oshae Brissett makes two point pullup jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 39-29 |
| 10:19 | | +3 | Dillon Brooks makes three point stepback jump shot (Aaron Holiday assists) | 39-32 |
| 10:04 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 42-32 |
| 9:50 | | Neemias Queta shooting foul (Jock Landale draws the foul) | ||
| 9:50 | | Jock Landale misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:50 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 9:50 | | +1 | Jock Landale makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 42-33 |
| 9:32 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 44-33 |
| 9:20 | | Dillon Brooks misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 9:18 | | Rockets offensive rebound | ||
| 9:11 | | Nate Williams misses two point driving layup | ||
| 9:09 | | Jock Landale offensive rebound | ||
| 9:08 | | Jock Landale turnover (lost ball) (Neemias Queta steals) | ||
| 8:59 | | Aaron Holiday personal foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 8:59 | | Aaron Holiday technical foul | ||
| 8:59 | | Jayson Tatum misses technical free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 8:59 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 8:49 | | Derrick White misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Jock Landale defensive rebound | ||
| 8:37 | | Neemias Queta shooting foul (Amen Thompson draws the foul) | ||
| 8:37 | | +1 | Amen Thompson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 44-34 |
| 8:37 | | +1 | Amen Thompson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 44-35 |
| 8:21 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:19 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 8:12 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point driving reverse layup | 44-37 |
| 8:12 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:48 | | Jayson Tatum turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 7:39 | | +2 | Jalen Green makes two point driving layup (Alperen Sengun assists) | 44-39 |
| 7:19 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving layup (Luke Kornet assists) | 46-39 |
| 7:15 | | Celtics delay of game violation | ||
| 7:06 | | Alperen Sengun misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:05 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 6:50 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 6:48 | | Amen Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 6:43 | | Amen Thompson misses two point running layup | ||
| 6:40 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 6:36 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point cutting dunk (Jaylen Brown assists) | 48-39 |
| 6:20 | | Luke Kornet shooting foul (Alperen Sengun draws the foul) | ||
| 6:20 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 48-40 |
| 6:20 | | +1 | Alperen Sengun makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 48-41 |
| 5:53 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 51-41 |
| 5:44 | | +2 | Alperen Sengun makes two point floating jump shot (Amen Thompson assists) | 51-43 |
| 5:33 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:33 | | Payton Pritchard offensive rebound | ||
| 5:28 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point layup | ||
| 5:28 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 5:24 | | +3 | Sam Hauser makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 54-43 |
| 5:12 | |