Celtics vs. Rockets Takeaways: Applying Lessons Of Late-Game Execution

The Houston Rockets held on late to defeat the Boston Celtics Monday night in a 111-109 home victory, which illustrated their growth in late-game execution.

HOUSTON — The Houston Rockets recorded one of their most impressive wins of the season in a 111-109 victory over the Boston Celtics Monday night. Here are three takeaways from the Rockets' first win amid their six-game homestand inside the Toyota Center. 

Rockets applying lessons of late-game execution:

The Rockets have the second-worst record in the league at 16-52. But if not for the ongoing struggles of late-game execution, Houston would not be on the verge of finishing at the bottom of the league for the third consecutive year.

Houston's loss to the Chicago Bulls was the best indication of how execution down the stretch has hampered their season.

"We came out tonight and stayed together," Jalen Green said. "We lost the last game at the end. But we came out tonight and stayed together. That was the biggest thing for us."

The Rockets held a 13-point lead at the 8:30 mark of the third quarter. But by the end of the period, Houston had a five-point advantage (85-80) over Boston.

The Celtics went on several runs during the fourth quarter, which included outscoring the Rockets 10-2 in the final two minutes to come within a point (108-107) with 52 seconds left.

Coach Stephen Silas said the Rockets spent the previous 48 hours watching game film of their fourth-quarter collapse against the Bulls. The ongoing breakdown and film study led to Houston learning from a season-long blunder against the Celtics.

"There were lessons learned for sure," Silas said. "The execution down the stretch was better. The attention to details were better. We learned from the film sessions and the experience from the last couple of games. We made plays that were necessary for the win."

Role players stepping up late down the stretch:

Houston's Big 3 of Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and Jabari Smith Jr. each led the Rockets to an upset victory over the Celtics, but several role players stepped up during the fourth quarter.

Without the production of Usman Garuba, K.J. Martin and Jae'Sean Tate, the Rockets may have fallen short.

"It was a team win," Silas said. "It was a good team win. K.J. just eats minutes up. He is always around 30 minutes. And tonight, he was almost near 40. Garuba's 3's were huge. And J.T. did a little bit of everything." 

When the Celtics came within two points with 8 minutes and 55 seconds left in the final period, Garuba drilled a pair of triples on back-to-back possessions to extend Houston's lead to eight points (95-87) at the 7:55 mark of the final quarter. 

On the next offensive possession, Martin drilled a 3-point field goal of his own to extend the Rockets' lead to nine. He added 20 points and six rebounds in the win. 

Tate played all five positions for the short-handed Rockets before fouling out with 52.3 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Overcoming Jaylen Brown's scoring by limiting Jayson Tatum:

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum scored a combined 77 points in the Celtics' early season victory over the Rockets. Brown replicated his performance by scoring a season-high 43 points (16-25 FG, 4-10 3PT), but Tatum's struggled due to the Rockets' improved defense.

Tatum finished the night with 22 points while shooting 8-for-22 from the field and 2-for-10 from behind the arc.

Smith played a huge role in Houston's ability to contain the MVP candidate. Smith used his defensive versatility to contest Tatum's shots and physicality to prevent him from getting to his spots.

Tatum did score 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting during the third quarter, but his performance came after he scored nine points (3-12 FG) during the first half.

"I just tried to challenge him more," Smith said. "I had to try and make him make moves other than catching and shooting. I was physical with him."

Best performance:

Jabari Smith Jr. scored 20 points or more for the third consecutive game. With 24 points on an efficient 9-for-11 shooting, 5-for-6 from 3-point range, he also recorded his third straight double-double by adding 11 rebounds. 

As aforementioned, Smith's best contribution came on the defensive end by holding Jayson Tatum to an appalling offensive night.

Worst performance:

Monday night was the second straight game where each player who touched the court had a positive impact for the Rockets.

Final Words:

"We are a working progress. When we understand the moment, it's gratifying for a coach because we're constantly teaching them. As much as we can watch film and talk about it, there is no better teaching method than going through it and finding some success at the end of it." — Silas

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You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24

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