Celtics fans treated to welcome sight in unexpected win over Rockets

In what might've been their most improbable win of the season, the shorthanded Boston Celtics rolled through the Houston Rockets. They coasted to a 114-93 victory for their fourth straight.

Here's what stood out:

Welcome back, Derrick White

January was unkind to Derrick White, as it traditionally has been to the Celtics guard. He struggled to shoot the ball to start 2026,  and had his work cut out for him in Houston with Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser having the night off.

Not only did White handle the pressure of carrying the offensive burden, but he thrived in the larger role.

White set the foundation for his big night with a solid first half, tallying 14 early points on 5-11 from the field. The third quarter, however, is where he really got cooking. The Colorado native matched his entire first-half total with 14 in the frame.

Because of how dominant the Celtics were, White didn’t have to play much in the fourth.

He wound up with a game-high 28 points and eight assists.

Ron Harper Jr., welcome to the rotation

When the starting lineup for this game was announced, I almost fell out of my seat. Ron Harper Jr., Derrick White, Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza, and Neemias Queta. That’s the type of creativity you get when the trade deadline is less than 24 hours away, I suppose.

For Harper Jr., Wednesday marked just his 19th career appearance in the NBA, and his first-ever start. It sure didn’t look like it. The two-way guard played like a rotation regular.

He immediately made his presence felt on the glass when he fought for two early rebounds in traffic. Harper Jr. totaled eight boards in his debut as a starter.

His defense on Kevin Durant stood out. There were multiple possessions where he not only held his own against one of the game’s greatest ever scorers, but actually made things uncomfortable for KD.

Not to mention that he fit right into the offense, providing quality spacing for Boston, and showing a good feel for the game with some nice passes.

Harper Jr. ended up with 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists against Houston. Not bad at all.

Nikola Vucevic, we’re good bro, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza are here

All of the buzz over the past day and a half has been about the Nikola Vucevic trade. Boston landed the 35-year-old center from the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Anfernee Simons. The move provided what was thought to be some much-needed frontcourt depth for the Celtics.

It turns out, though, that Neemias Queta and Luka Garza might just be awesome.

As mentioned above, both men found their way into the starting lineup, Queta as a regular and Garza as a surprise addition in Hauser’s absence.

The former made his presence felt right away in this one. In the early minutes of the second quarter, he’d already ripped down nine rebounds. He continued his domination on the glass throughout the night, finding his way to a game-high 17 boards.

Queta’s best moment, though? Blocking a shot after jogging 14 rows down from the stands.

As for Garza, it was another solid game in his catalogue. He, much like Queta, gave Boston some solid defense on Rockets star Alperen Sengun. On the other end, he served as an efficient scoring option, putting in 19 points on 7-13 from the field.