It wasn’t for lack of effort, mostly. The Celtics looked like they were trying for most of the night, but they could barely hit anything they threw up there.
The Celtics shot 36% from the field, 23% from 3, and fell to the Rockets 102-98
The C’s actually hit 2 of their first 3 3’s in this game and took an early lead after 1. Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas did all of the early damage, combining for 6 of 9 shooting in the 1st quarter for 14 of the C’s 23 points. Unfortunately, Bradley shot 5-12 the rest of the way (0-5 3pt after the 1st quarter).
The Rockets bench did most of the second quarter damage, outscoring the Celtics bench 14-9 in the period and powering the Rockets to a 3 point halftime lead. It was fairly even after that in the box score… frustratingly so because the Celtics had their chances to take this game.
Two things really hurt Boston in the second half: Jae Crowder sprained his right ankle and played only about 3 and a half minutes. And Michael Beasley thought he was back in China, going off for 12 second half points off the bench (5-9 fg for 10 points in the 4th quarter). Without anyone to stop Beas off the bench and with James Harden (32 points, 13-15 ft) doing James Harden things, the C’s never got over the hump thanks to their cold shooting.
The Green
Jared Sullinger had a nice game, especially considering he was going against a true center in Dwight Howard most of the game. 24 points on 50% shooting and 12 rebounds (6 offensive) was pretty great. And he had an awesome steal and score on Howard late in the game that resulted in a frustrated Howard throwing a bullet chest pass at the official that somehow didn’t result in a tech.
… just a brief aside on this… that was absolutely tech-worthy. After a guy scores, player pick the ball up, step out of bounds, and inbound the ball. There’s never a need to check it with the ref. Howard was pissed off and he fired that “pass” at the official and got away with it. That’s total bullshit.
Terry Rozier got meaningful minutes and played really well. In 10 minutes, he somehow managed 7 rebounds and 3 assists while also hitting a 3. This was nice to see.
The Gross
Amir Johnson was supposed to be our rim protector. I don’t know what’s going on with him… maybe he’s more banged up than we realize… but man is he ineffective. He’s so bad right now that I want Tyler Zeller out there over him, and Zeller is pretty bad against big, physical centers.
The Celtics had some brain farts out there. Marcus Smart goaltending a late basket by Avery Bradley that would have cut the lead to 4 with :30 left was a very bad mistake because the ball was going in. I understand he was being aggressive but there was still no need to grab the rim there. Just a bad mistake.
There were quite a few times where C’s guards were matched up on James Harden and refused to drive… even when he was in foul trouble. Here’s a newsflash… Harden isn’t going to stop you… get to the basket. At the very least, force someone to help him and make an extra pass or 2 to get a better look.
The Greenlights
Isaiah with the super floater over Dwight
Isaiah Thomas puts home the rainbow floater over Dwight Howard! Catch the game live on @CSNNE right now. pic.twitter.com/yoSIeuu78O
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 12, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsSick behind the back move by IT4
Did we mention that Isaiah Thomas has sick handles? We’ve got proof: pic.twitter.com/qqLU2dDpf8 — Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 12, 2016
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Jerebko Euro-step
Jonas Jerebko just hit the Rockets with this filthy Eurostep: pic.twitter.com/OhnJXp5Jih
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 12, 2016
The Grid
- Points in the Paint: Rockets 60, Celtics 46
- Second Chance Points: Rockets 16, Celtics 16
- Fastbreak Points: Rockets 14, Celtics 25
- Crowder: 4 points (1-8 fg, 0-6 3pt)
On the plus side… Philly beat the Nets tonight, and Crowder’s ankle seems to be OK. The Celtics have a few days off for everyone to rest and get their minds (and bodies) right.
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