Rockets-Celtics Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Jan 10 2013 10:16PM

While Boston's core of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo remains one of the more prominent in the game, the Celtics are proving to be much more than a three-man show.

Boston tries to extend its season-high winning streak to five Friday night against the visiting Houston Rockets, who found themselves in a similar stretch before a disappointing loss their last time out.

Since dropping a season-worst four in a row, the Celtics (18-17) have strung together four consecutive victories while giving up 82.8 points per game. That defensive prowess was on full display Wednesday in an 87-79 win over Phoenix, which was limited to 39.3 percent shooting and committed 16 turnovers.

Boston, though, also struggled to get much going offensively and managed just 34 points in the second half. Jeff Green, Jason Terry and rookie Jared Sullinger combined for 39 points as the bench carried the offense, scoring 47 points on 59.4 percent shooting, compared to 40 and 36.7 from the starters.

"We just gotta keep defending the way we're defending. Keep doing what we're doing, but getting better at it," coach Doc Rivers said. "(Wednesday) night, we won the game but I didn't necessarily think we played great. ... Our starters have to be better every night, not just the bench."

Sullinger in particular has given Boston a huge boost of late. The former Ohio State standout, listed at 6-foot-9 and 260 pounds, grabbed a season-high 16 rebounds Wednesday and leads the team with 14.4 boards per 48 minutes. He's also scored in double figures in five of his last nine games.

"Obviously his timing, body positioning. He has the perfect body for rebounding," Garnett told the Celtics' official website. "He can take the pounding and bump a little bit and he has great anticipation when it comes to the ball, and he has great hands. Put all that in the pot, you got Jared Sullinger. That's what makes him great."

Sullinger now looks to keep things going against a Rockets team that's taken four of five in this series - including a 101-89 victory Dec. 14. Pierce, who scored 18 points on 5-of-18 shooting in that game, has gone 21 for 61 (34.4 percent) from the field in his last four matchups against Houston (21-15).

The Rockets entered Wednesday having won five straight and 10 of 12 before coming up well short of their league-leading scoring average of 106.0 in an 88-79 loss at New Orleans. They're still in sixth place in the Western Conference and on pace for their most wins since 2008-09, the franchise's last playoff team.

"I think the energy that James Harden has brought to the team and city, has really enthused them," Pierce said. "A lot of people think they're overachieving, but they're right there with some of the better teams in the Western Conference."

Against the Hornets, Houston, which gave up 16 offensive boards, took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter but was outscored 29-10 over the final 12 minutes. It was 4 of 19 (21.1 percent) in the fourth - its worst-shooting period of the season.

"Any time a team gets that many offensive rebounds it's going to be hard to run," Rockets coach and former Celtics star Kevin McHale said. "We were not sharp. We couldn't get anything going in that fourth quarter and it just ballooned from there."

Harden was the only player to reach double figures with 25 points, but he committed a career worst-tying seven of the team's 23 turnovers. He had 21 points on 6-of-17 shooting against the Celtics last month.

Houston, which finished with its fewest points of the season Wednesday, has gone 3-9 when scoring 98 points or fewer.

Pierce scores 23 as Celtics beat Rockets 103-91

Posted Jan 12 2013 12:12AM

BOSTON (AP) Just one week after ending a four-game skid, the Boston Celtics were modestly enjoying their longest winning streak of the season.

Five straight wins hardly merits a celebration for the Celtics, who extended the streak with a 103-91 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

It's the way Boston has been playing during the past week that seems to have rejuvenated the Celtics.

"I feel good. I feel like we are building," said Paul Pierce, who after resting most of the second quarter stormed out of halftime by scoring the first eight points of the third quarter. "We're getting better and better."

Pierce finished with 23 points, scoring 16 in the second half as the Celtics withstood a large but brief surge by Houston midway through the fourth quarter.

Kevin Garnett added 17 points and four blocks and Boston got another big night from its surging group of reserves, who outscored Houston's bench 40-25.

Rookie Jared Sullinger had his second straight double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, Courtney Lee also scored 14 and Jeff Green added nine points for the Celtics.

"Everybody's not satisfied, but happy around here," Garnett said. "We've been working really hard to get to this point."

Garnett said the Celtics still have room to improve - a point made clear in the fourth quarter Friday when the Rockets rallied with 12 straight points to pull within two.

The Celtics had led by as much as 17 and were rattled, but recovered quickly and outscored Houston 20-10 the rest of the way.

The Rockets kept Boston from going to the foul line at all in the first half, but hurt themselves from the line by making just 12 of 29 free throws. The Rockets never found their rhythm on offense, putting up 80 shots and making only 35 of them.

"That's the second game in a row where we haven't shot well, haven't moved it really well," said coach Kevin McHale, the former Celtics great whose No. 32 is retired and hangs above Boston's parquet floor. "We've got a lot of stuff we've got to clean up. We've got to hit the open man, make the extra pass - just clean it up a little bit."

After winning five straight, the Rockets are 0-2 during a three-game road trip that concludes Saturday in Philadelphia.

James Harden led Houston with 24 points, ending a run of 14 straight games scoring 25 or more. Chandler Parsons added 18 points and Jeremy Lin scored 12. They were the only Houston players to score in double figures.

The Celtics extended their season-high winning streak to five games, but only after surviving the Rockets' 12-0 run that pulled Houston within two points midway through the fourth quarter.

The Rockets had won five straight and 10 of 12 before starting the trip with a loss at New Orleans on Wednesday. After struggling through the first three quarters, Houston put together one big surge in the fourth quarter that stunned the Celtics and their fans - but only for a little while.

"We just had to calm down and get our poise. I thought we were rushing things," Pierce said. "The ball wasn't moving. We didn't good shots. It led to fast break points for them."

The Rockets trailed by 17 in the third quarter and fell behind 80-66 when Garnett opened the final period with a turnaround jumper. He drew a foul on another turnaround with 10:44 remaining and converted the three-point play to put Boston ahead 83-69.

Houston then snapped out of its funk, scoring 12 straight over the next 3:42 and pulling to 83-81 when Parsons leaped for an unlikely dunk that barely cleared the rim.

Carlos Delfino started the run with a 3-pointer and Parsons caught Boston off-guard during a series of fast breaks, pulling up from beyond the arc and getting the Rockets to 83-77. Harden followed that with a steal and took it in for a dunk as the Rockets continued chipping away at Boston's formerly large lead.

Houston could not keep up the frenzied pace and the Celtics regained control with a 9-2 run following Parsons' dunk.

"We wanted to control the tempo and they got the shots they wanted to get," Lin said. "We didn't make them uncomfortable enough."

Pierce scored the first eight points of the third quarter, starting with back-to-back 3-pointers and adding two free throws 1:44 into the period to put the Celtics up 61-45. Pierce added two more points on a field goal with 9:20 left as Boston stretched its opening run to 11-2 and led 64-47.

The Rockets scored seven straight to pull within 10, but Boston was off and running again on a 10-2 run. Rajon Rondo started it with an offensive rebound and putback, then Avery Bradley hit a 3-pointer for his first bucket of the night after missing his first five shots.

NOTES: Boston didn't get to the foul line in the first half, but managed just fine offensively by making 24 of 44 from the field and led 53-45 at the break. ... Sullinger had 14 points and eight rebounds at halftime. He was coming off a career-best performance Wednesday when he had 16 rebounds in a win over Phoenix, but had to sit when he drew his fifth foul early in the fourth. ... McHale was making his first appearance back in Boston as the Rockets' coach. ... Omer Asik had 11 rebounds for the Rockets. ... Rondo finished with 12 points and eight assists.

Notebook: Celtics 103, Rockets 91

Brian Robb, for NBA.com
Posted Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:27 PM - Updated Fri Jan 11, 2013 11:27 PM

THE FACTS: Paul Pierce had 23 points, helping the Boston Celtics hold off a fourth-quarter comeback from the Houston Rockets and earn their fifth straight win with a 103-91 victory at TD Garden. Kevin Garnett had 11 of his 17 points in the second half for the Celtics, as the hosts led by as many as 17 points behind a standout effort from the team's second unit. James Harden (24 points) and the Rockets would not give in to the sizable deficit, but their three-point (27.3 percent) and free throw (17 missed free throws) woes were too much to overcome. Houston has now lost two straight games.

QUOTABLE: "Our bench was huge. I mean, that's what stretched the game, that stretch in the end of the first and through most of the second quarter we left them out there. They're just playing so free together, and they're defending. One of the big differences is they're defending now."
-- Celtics coach Doc Rivers

THE STAT: The Celtics bench outscored Rockets bench by 36-9 in the first half, enabling Boston to turn a nine-point first-quarter deficit into an eight-point halftime lead.

TURNING POINT: After 12-0 run by Houston to cut the lead to two with 7:37 remaining in the 4th quarter, Celtics turned to Pierce to stop the bleeding, and Boston's captain responded by sparking a 11-1 spurt to put Boston ahead again by double digits.

QUOTABLE II: "I feel like we are building. We're getting better and better. Taking it one game at a time in this home stretch. Hopefully we can just keep it going."
-- Paul Pierce

HOT: Pierce -- After being saddled with foul trouble for the majority of the first half, Boston's leading scorer took command in the third quarter with his fresh legs. Pierce posted 11 of his team-high 23 points in the third quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers to help Boston extend their halftime lead.

NOT: Omer Asik -- Houston's stud center could not find the bottom of the net from the free throw line Friday night. The former Bull missed his first seven attempts from the charity stripe, going 1-for-8 on the evening.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Garnett -- Boston's defensive leader finished with a season-high four blocks, to go along with his usual efficient effort on the offensive end (17 points) and on the glass (eight rebounds).

QUOTABLE III: "We wanted to control the tempo, but they got the shots they wanted and we didn't make them uncomfortable enough."
-- Jeremy Lin

ROOKIE WATCH: Jared Sullinger -- The 20-year-old has his second straight double-double, posting 14 points and 11 rebounds against a formidable Rockets' front line, before fouling out in the game's closing moments.

INSIDE THE ARENA: New England Patriots wide receiver Brandon Lloyd watched the game from courtside, and received a rousing ovation from the TD Garden crowd.

NOTABLE: The Celtics improved to 14-2 when they hold their opponents under 95 points...The Rockets had won 10 of their past 13 games...Courtney Lee tied a team-high off the bench with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting...Carlos Delfino hit just 1-for-7 3-point attempts. He had been shooting 50 percent beyond the arc over his past 10 games...With the win the Celtics are just four games behind the Knicks for the Atlantic Division lead...Houston had 17 of their 24 fast break points in the second half...The Celtics did not get to the foul line in the first half...The Rockers fell to 14-3 against the Eastern Conference...Harden had his streak of 14 consecutive games with 25 points snapped.

UP NEXT: For Houston, Saturday @ Houston, Tuesday vs. L.A. Clippers Wednesday @ Dallas. For Boston, Monday vs. Charlotte, Wednesday vs. New Orleans, Friday vs. Chicago.

• Rockets: Beverley, Jones, White
• Celtics: Melo, Wilcox

• Rockets: --
• Celtics: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 1

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #55 Bill Kennedy, #6 Tony Brown, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:16