Houston Rockets Survive Boston’s Late Rally to Record Shock Win Over Celtics

• The Houston Rockets stunned the Boston Celtics in their matchup on Monday
• The Rockets defeated the Celtics despite Houston being the huge underdog
• Boston’s rally fell short as Jayson Tatum missed a game-tying layup at the end

The Houston Rockets recorded one of their biggest wins of the season, beating the Boston Celtics 111-109 on Monday.

Given their respective records, only a few gave the Rockets a chance to win against the Celtics.

Houstin entered the game with a woeful 15-52 slate, while Boston were in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 47-21 record.

Things did not go as planned for the Celtics, who trailed by 11 points late in the fourth quarter.

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Rockets survive Celtics’ late rally

Boston tried to rally, cutting the deficit to just one point with less than a minute left following Jaylen Brown’s free throws. The Celtics managed to stop the Rockets in the ensuing possession but failed to grab the defensive rebound.

Kenyon Martin Jr. grabbed the offensive board, giving another possession to Houston. Jalen Green was later fouled, with the sophomore making both free throws with 10 seconds left per ESPN.

Brown immediately made a layup to cut Houston's lead to one point again. Jabari Smith Jr. made one of two free throws for the Rockets to restore their two-point lead.

Jayson Tatum had a golden opportunity to send the game into overtime, but he missed a tough layup.

With the victory, the Rockets snapped their three-game losing streak. They also spoiled a masterful performance by Brown, who scored a season-high 43 points for the Celtics.

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Green led all Houston scorers with 28 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds in the win, with Smith Jr., Martin Jr., Porter Jr., and Tate also scoring in double-figures for the Rockets.

Poor outside shooting dooms Celtics

It was a disappointing defeat for the Celtics, who lost ground in the race for the top seed in the East. They now trail the Bucks by 2.5 games after Milwaukee’s win over Sacramento.

Boston struggled with its outside shot, with the Celtics missing 30 of their 42 3-point attempts. Tatum couldn’t find his shooting stroke from deep, making just 2 of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc.

Tatum wants an NBA title

Sports Brief recently reported on Tatum revealing his biggest goal of his NBA career.

The Celtics star said the only thing that matters to him is to win the championship.

Last year, he was criticized for his poor performance in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.