Boston lost 93-109 at Houston, trailing after every quarter but the first, which ended 29-29. The loss leaves the Celtics 5-2 and third in the East, with no rest before a home game against Milwaukee.
Boston chased this game from the second quarter on.
The score was 29-29 after one quarter and the teams were tied twice in all. Houston then won the next three quarters 28-21, 25-23 and 27-20. The nearest Boston came to a lead was a 9-0 run that cut 25-15 to 24-25 late in the first. That was a one-point deficit, and the Celtics never turned it into a lead. Boston played with no rest days before tipoff and had three games in the previous seven days. Tired legs would explain a slow third quarter, but nothing here proves it.
The fourth quarter was decided by one scoreless stretch.
From 79-87 at 8:31 to 79-97 at 6:52, Houston ran off ten straight points and Boston missed everything it took. That made it an 18-point game, Houston's biggest lead. Boston closed with Scheierman, White, Tatum, Queta and Pritchard, and that group was already out of the game. Pritchard was the worst plus-minus on the floor at -17 in 30 minutes. Houston closed with Sengun, VanVleet, Durant, Sheppard and Eason. Sengun scored 26 on 12-of-15 shooting, added 10 assists, and finished +21.
Queta earned the one clear passing grade.
Neemias Queta gets an A-minus: 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, six rebounds and a team-best +7 in 26 minutes. Jayson Tatum gets a C. His 8-for-8 at the line and nine assists were real work, but he shot 5-of-16, went 1-of-7 from three and committed five turnovers. For the season he is at 27.0 points over seven games, though he is shooting 22.9 percent from deep. Derrick White gets a D for 3-of-12 shooting and three turnovers, in 30 minutes at -4. Luka Garza's 4-of-7 from three kept the bench from being a total loss. The bench scored 29 to the starters' 59.
The standings absorbed it, but the schedule is thin.
Boston is 5-2, third in the East, zero games behind sixth-place Cleveland at 4-3 and three games ahead of eleventh. The current pace projects to 59-23, with 75 games left. Next comes Milwaukee on Nov. 4, then Charlotte on the road. Paul George is day-to-day with a Nov. 4 return date, and he was not in the box score. Mitchell Robinson was -16 in 15 minutes, and CelticsBlog's headline said the center left the game. How much Boston can take from an early loss depends on how quickly those two are back.
What was the score of the Celtics-Rockets game on Nov. 2?
Houston won 93-109. Boston never led and trailed after each of the final three quarters.
Where do the Celtics stand after losing to Houston?
They are 5-2 and third in the East. They are level with sixth-place Cleveland in the loss column of the race and three games ahead of the eleventh seed.
