The Celtics fell on Monday night in Houston, 109-93, in a game that got away and looked pretty ugly when all was said and done. But when you look beyond the scoreboard and some of the numbers, there were actually a lot of silver linings and positive takeaways from what was just the team’s second loss of the young season.
Let’s start with the basics. The second the schedule came out, this game was going to be very difficult to win. Sunday morning was Daylight Saving Time, which messed with internal clocks. Then, the Celtics had to play a road game in Orlando Sunday afternoon against a tough, physical team, where they gutted out an impressive win.
Impossible schedule spot for Celtics in Houston
Then, they had to fly to Houston, change time zones, and play on the second night of a back-to-back in a second road city, against one of the best two-way teams in the NBA, which had a rest advantage, as their previous game was at home on Saturday.
So, even with all things going right, this was most likely a schedule loss to begin with. Add in the fact that Paul George got a well-deserved night off for rest, and the Celtics were up against it in a major way.
However, the Celtics actually came out and played very well. Their process on offense was good, driving and passing the ball, crashing the offensive boards, and generating a lot of good shots. The only problem was that they simply could not buy a basket. The Celtics shot just 39% from the field and 12-for-42 (29%) from three, and it felt even worse.
Boston needed guys to step up with PG out, but Payton Pritchard scored just 4 points and shot 0/7, Sam Hauser had 2 points and shot 0/5 from three, and Derrick White had 7 points on 3/12 shooting and 1/5 from deep. They got good looks; they just didn’t go in. It wasn’t their night.
Even with poor shooting, Boston had a great chance to steal a win
But against a very strong Rockets team that is now 7-1 and has the best record in the NBA, Boston finally won the rebounding battle, including a 14-9 edge on the offensive glass. They also had high shot quality despite the poor shooting. Their defense was also on point against the league’s top-rated offense, not even giving up 30+ points in a single quarter.
On top of that, Neemias Queta got another start and looked good, as the Celtics were +7 with him on the floor. Luka Garza also provided strong backup minutes and was a +2. The two bigs combined for 30 points and 9 rebounds. Jayson Tatum also won his minutes and managed 19 points and 9 assists, working for 8 free throws and keeping the offense afloat on a night when the shots weren’t falling.
Sadly, this game boiled down to some very simple issues. The team had no PG, the Mitchell Robinson minutes were dreadful (he was -16 in 15 minutes), and nobody could make a shot. Overall, they actually played well and fought hard, staying within shouting distance for most of the game and giving themselves a chance to steal a win against a very good team.
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