Rockets Crumble After Halftime, Lose to Celtics, 108-90
Deja Vu. Worst Third. Needing More Green.
Houston only trailed by 5 points at intermission. But, as it’s been the case time and time again this season, the Rockets fell apart in the third quarter. Boston outscored Houston 34-16 coming out of the break, en route to dealing the Rockets a 108-90 loss, their 15th consecutive loss. The squad is now only 5 losses away from the record they set last season, when they squandered 20 games in a row. Jayson Tatum fueled the Celtics once again. Tatum dropped 30 on Houston again, and Jaylen Brown returned from an injury to chip in 19 points for Boston.
Armoni Brooks, of all people, led the Rockets in scoring with 17 points. K.J. Martin was the only other Houston player in double figure, scoring 10 in limited minutes. And Alperen Sengun continued to shine in limited action, scoring 8 points, to go along with 6 rebounds and 7 assists. In contrast to when these teams first met, Jalen Green struggled to find his rhythm. Green scored only 9 points on 2-for-9 shooting. Despite his struggles, Houston needs Green to stay aggressive, and not shy away from attacking the basket.
In a season of terrible third quarters, this one might’ve been the Rockets worst. Boston scored twice as many points as Houston in the period. Granted, the Rockets are still without Kevin Porter Jr., but regardless or who’s on the floor, Houston struggles to put four quarters together. It’s a puzzle, one Houston needs to solve quickly. They’ll need a more efficient Green if they want to put an intermission to this unbearable losing streak.