As we were all very aware of, the Celtics have been on a three-game skid and haven’t looked their best as of late. If someone told you that those three losses came from the Knicks, Trail Blazers and Wizards; would you expect them to beat a top tier team like the Houston Rockets? No, probably not.
Well, the Celtics had a pleasant surprise for the Garden on Wednesday night as they pulled off an impressive 120-109 victory over James Harden and the Rockets. What a night it was for Al Horford and Isaiah Thomas. Most people are used to hearing Thomas putting up incredible numbers, and that did not change tonight. IT scored 38 points and was one assist away from putting up a double-double on the night. Thomas has now scored 25+ points in 9 straight games, passing Larry Bird (8). Horford just barely missed a double-double of his own as he scored 20 points and came up with 9 rebounds. That’s a solid 18 REBs by Horford and Thomas alone. This played a big part in the Celtics out-rebounding the Rockets 48-30. That’s the best rebounding performances the Celtics have put on in THREE YEARS. It was a big night, and it payed out in the end.
James Harden knocked down 30 points of his own, as well as getting called for a flagrant foul on Joans Jerebko.
Jonas Jerebko gushing with blood after hard smack from James Harden pic.twitter.com/zrNGGuKEDs
— Celtics News (@CelticsNewsNBA) January 26, 2017
Jerebko was treated to after the game and is expected to receive four-stitches to his lip because of the foul.
The free-throws were essentially the only issues coming out of tonight. The Celtics went to the line 16 times compared to the Rockets’ 38. Moving forward, the Celtics will look to improve upon messy defensive stands and unnecessary fouls. Giving your opponent 38 attempts from the free-throw line isn’t the best strategy (or is it?).
Tonight was a very much needed showing for this current Celtics team. They have looked lost most of this past week and against teams they easily could have beaten. Tonight was a huge test and most were giving the game to Houston before it even started. The Celtics proved their worth and did so with an explanation point. They will host the Magic on Friday night, tip-off 7:30PM.
Record since GE deal: 1-0. Not bad.
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