Rockets top Celtics 123-120 for 15th win in a row

Posted: March 3, 2018 -- 11:04 pm CST.

HOUSTON, TX (Toyota Center) -- The Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics played a very exciting basketball game Saturday night; and, the Rockets came out on top with a thrilling 123-120 come-from-behind victory. The Rockets have won 15 games in a row.

"We keep playing, the game wasn’t pretty for us," said Houston Rockets P.J. Tucker about the win. "We weren’t making a lot of shots. James (Harden) and Chris (Paul) didn’t go crazy. We literally needed everybody on our team to step up and do something tonight. It’s one of those wins that you look at, at the end of the year, kind of nod your head and it gives that record of trying to finish first in the West. Going on these kind of winning streaks, these are the games the you’ve got to grind it out and win."

Houston (49-13) trailed Boston (44-20) 113-107 with 3:24 on the clock. On Boston's possession, guard Kyrie Irving dribbled past James Harden and attacked the basket. Irving attempted a reverse layup. The ball banked off the backboard then spun around the rim before falling out. Clint Capela grabbed the rebound.

Irving's missed layup was key. If he had the shot, the Rockets would have trailed by eight points with three minutes left in the game. Instead, James Harden dished to P.J. Tucker and Tucker swished a corner three-point shot to pull the Rockets within three points with 2:58 on the game clock.

After Boston's Marcus Smart missed a 13-foot jump shot (which the Rockets were thrilled for Smart to take), Harden scored a driving layup. In 36 seconds, the Rockets went from being down six to within one (113-112) with 2:28 remaining.

Al Horford scored a jump hook for a three-point Boston lead.

Next, after Harden missed a three-point shot, Boston's Terry Rozier III grabbed the miss; however, Chris Paul and P.J. Tucker swarmed Rozier under the basket and Tucker stole the ball. Tucker's steal led to a game-tying three-point basket by Trevor Ariza.

Seconds later, Kyrie Irving committed a turnover and Ariza scored a driving layup for a 117-115 Rockets' lead with 76 seconds left in the game.

"Getting stops, that was the biggest key," Ariza said after the game. "Usually if they get good looks, they’re going to knock them down. They got one of the best scorers in the league over there and we were able to limit good looks for him down the stretch. I think that was the biggest key for us to finish out the game."

"That was huge, that’s what it’s about. That’s how you win games against good teams. You have to get stops and you have to make plays. Down the stretch, we did that."

The team's exchanged four missed shots the next few seconds; and, after Horford rebounded his own missed shot, Horford stumbled to the court and, for some reason, threw a pass while on the floor. No Celtics' teammate was near the ball and Ariza picked up the loose ball.

Irving fouled Ariza. Since Irving's foul was Boston's first foul in the final two minutes of the game, Boston was forced to quickly foul again.

Chris Paul made both free throws for a 119-115 lead with 15 seconds remaining.

Irving scored a layup to slice the Rockets' lead to two points. Boston fouled James Harden with 7.4 seconds remaining. Harden split the two foul shots allowing Boston a chance to tie the game with a three-point basket.

Boston called timeout; and, after the timeout, Tucker was whistled for a foul while guarding Irving. Irving made the first free throw; and, though he tried to miss the second foul shot on purpose, Irving banked in the second attempt for a 120-119 Rockets' lead with 4 seconds on the clock.

Boston fouled Chris Paul; and, once again, CP3 made both free throws.

Houston did not allow the Celtics a chance to shoot a three; therefore CP3 fouled Irving with 2.8 seconds on the clock. Irving made the first foul shot; but, one more time, Irving messed up when he tried to miss the second foul shot -- the shot missed the the basket for a violation.

"I suck at it (missing free throws on purpose). "I’ve been up there probably four or five times and I failed every single time trying to miss on purpose. I don’t know; don’t ask me, I keep telling my teammates I’m not good at missing. I’m not, I’m serious. To think that I have to become better in order for us, for our team to have a chance towards the end of the game, that I have to miss on purpose, I’ve got to be able to do it, I have to. Because we have an opportunity to put Greg (Monroe) out there and Al (Horford), and we have a chance to kind of tie the game or get another possession. I just have to be able to do it. It’s as simple as that."

The Rockets lead 122-120 with 2.8 seconds remaining. After failing to get the ball inbounds, Houston called timeout. Twice. Finally, Eric Gordon got free and was open enough to catch an inbounds pass. Gordon was fouled. Gordon missed the first free throw then made the second.

With two seconds on the clock and out of times-out, Boston's Marcus Smart caught the long inbounds pass and launched a 3 point turnaround jump shot. As the ball traveled in the air, the game clock expired, the ball was on line and hit the rim but bounced off preserving the Rockets' win.

Three Rockets (Trevor Ariza, Eric Gordon, James Harden) scored at least 20 points in the game.  Houston has had at least three players score 20 plus points in each of the past two games and 16 times overall this season after that occurred 10 times in 2016-17.

"You know we can learn from it," said Rockets Head Coach Mike D'Antoni after the game. "There’s some things that we can do toward the end, get the ball in a little bit easier, but they played. We had a couple foul shots, but this was a gut check in a sense of down six (points) most of the game or eight and every time we seemed to do something, they pushed it back up to six and guys just kept fighting. Eric (Gordon) came in off the bench, which he usually does. Eric Gordon was huge, the thing is I think we forget how good he is defensively, and everything he does, the ball handling he does, setting up things, and driving to the basket, and then hitting threes, ridiculous threes. His game is really good."

Eric Gordon had a game-high 29 points off the bench.  He has scored 20 plus points in consecutive games for the first time since January 8 and January 10 and 25 times overall this season after doing so 19 times in 2016-17.  Gordon also had a season-high tying 7 three-point baskets tonight and is shooting 12-of-25 from behind-the-arc over the past two games after missing the previous four games to injury and illness.

"It’s all about me being ready and whenever I come off the bench and really be productive," Gordon said. "Every time I step on that court I want to bring it offensively and defensively."

James Harden had 26 points and 10 assists tonight, marking his 24th double-double of the season.  He has scored 25 plus points in an NBA season-high tying 11 straight games.  Harden also added 7 rebounds and 5 steals tonight.  Dating back to 2013-14, it is the eighth time a player has recorded at least 26 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds and 5 steals.  Harden has accounted for six of those eight games.

Trevor Ariza had 21 points tonight.  It is his sixth 20-point game of the season and his first since at Dallas January 24.  Ariza had 4 three-point baskets tonight and has hit 3 plus three-point baskets in a career-high five straight games.  He also had 3 steals without a turnover and leads the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio this season (1.93).

The Rockets next game is Tuesday, March 6, at Oklahoma City, at 7 p.m.

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