The Boston Celtics, with a huge scoring outburst in the third quarter, defeated the Houston Rockets 111–95 on the road Monday to capture their third consecutive victory.
Houston was up by as much as 15 points in the opening quarter, but the Celtics rallied to tie the game heading to the second half and taking control in the third quarter, outscoring the hosts 32-13 which was enough until the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Leading the charge for Boston was point guard Isaiah Thomas who had 23 points, three rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
Reserve playmaker Avery Bradley had a great offensive performance as well, tallying 21 points and also having one rebound, two assists, and one steal.
Along with Thomas and Bradley, forward Jae Crowder also played well for the C's, contributing 16 points, three rebounds, and two steals.
The victory over the Rockets placed the Celtics on the fourth spot with 6–4 record in the Eastern Conference standings.
Teams above them are the Cleveland Cavaliers (8–3), Chicago Bulls (7–3), and the Atlanta Hawks (8–5).
Up next for the Celtics will be a two-game home stand against the Dallas Mavericks this Wednesday and the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.
The Rockets, on the other hand, absorbed their fourth consecutive defeat in their loss to Boston and were led by veteran forward Trevor Ariza who had 19 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and one block.
Franchise star James Harden struggled against the Celtics, tallying only 16 points and shooting four of 10 from the field, with all makes coming from the three-point area.
The Rockets currently hold a 4–7 record after the defeat and fell to the 11th spot in the Western Conference standings.
Houston will have a chance to end the losing skid when it plays the last of a three-game home stand hosting the Portland Trail Blazers at the Toyota Center this Wednesday.
