Rockets 119, Celtics 114

Game Highlights

Photo of the Game

Rajon Rondo puts in a reverse layup during Boston's overtime loss to the Rockets in the TD Garden.
Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty

By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com

Key Moment

Regulation

The key moment of regulation 100 percent unquestionable. With Ray Allen watching from the sideline with six fouls, Michael Finley was the reserve Doc Rivers leaned on to make important free throws in the final moments of regulation. With the C’s up by two points after Aaron Brooks made two free throws with 21.7 seconds remaining in regulation, Finley was the player who was fouled on the ensuing inbounds pass.

He walked calmly to the other end of the court and drilled his first free throw to put Boston up by three with 20.7 seconds left. The second, however, missed long and left the door open for Houston to step through. Brooks helped his team step right through it with a huge 3-pointer that sent to game into overtime.

Overtime

The Celtics came into the overtime session with as much energy and execution as you could ask for and it quickly paid off. After just 1:39 of overtime, Boston had already built a five-point lead.

A Jordan Hill free throw cut that lead to four, and then once bounce that went Houston’s way changed the scope of the game.

Kevin Garnett helped off of Luis Scola and, along with Rajon Rondo, trapped Brooks in the corner. But somehow Brooks snuck by Garnett along the baseline and dropped a pass of to Scola in the paint.

As Scola went up for a shot in the lane, Kendrick Perkins rose up and swatted the shot away, seemingly preserving Boston’s comfortable four-point lead. Instead, though, after no one on the baseline could corral the rebound, Chase Budinger snagged the ball in the corner in front of the Celtics’ bench and fired up a quick-trigger 3-pointer.

When the shot went up, it was an “Oh no!” moment in the Garden -- everyone knew it was going in. The shot didn’t touch the net, and all of a sudden it was a one-point game.

That was the biggest shot of Houston’s 9-0 run to end the overtime session, and it sparked them to an upset victory in Boston.

Key Box Score Line

Paul Pierce led the team in scoring, but Rajon Rondo was the top Celtic in this game. He finished with 23 points and a game-high 10 assists and team-high 48:12 of playing time. He also racked up five steals and five boards while defending two of Houston's best players in Aaron Brooks and Kyle Lowry.

Box Score Nuggets

• Boston outscored Houston 64-26 in the paint and 26-9 on the fast break.
• Houston made 12 of its 18 3-point attempts.
• Kendrick Perkins committed four turnovers.
• Two Celtics (Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett) and one Rocket (Chuck Hayes) fouled out of the game.
• Aaron Brooks scored a game-high 30 points to go along with nine assists.
• Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 27 points.
• Rajon Rondo finished with 23 points, five rebounds, 10 assists and five steals.
• One Celtic (Rondo) and four Rockets (Luis Scola, Brooks, Kyle Lowry and Chase Budinger) played more than 40 minutes.
• Scola played a game-high 50:45 and recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds.
• Kevin Garnett shot only 4-of-12 from the field.
• Budinger, Brooks and Lowry combined to shoot 12-of-17 from 3-point range for the Rockets. Houston shot 12-of-18 overall.
• Budinger scored 24 points in a spot start for Houston, and Lowry came off the bench for 18.
• Houston shot 25-of-28 from the free throw line, while Boston shot only 24-of-37.
• The Celtics shot 51.8 percent from the field.
• Off the bench, Rasheed Wallace scored 11 points with eight rebounds and Tony Allen finished with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists for Boston.

Quote of the Night

Doc Rivers on the team's chances if they continue to give up lots of points: "Well, we won't win a lot. So the answer would be yes. We're not going to win a lot if we’re giving up 101 a night."