When the Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets collided on December 28th of 2017, the two franchises were the powerhouses of the NBA.
Boston had recently run off 16 straight wins and came in with the league’s top record at 29-10. The Rockets had a sizeable lead of their own in the West with a 25-8 record, and James Harden was all but a lock for the league’s MVP award.
So, naturally, the matchup was one of two goliaths with a heavy playoff atmosphere. Needless to say, it lived up to the hype.
With just under 11 minutes to play in the 3rd quarter, Nene Hilario slammed home an easy dunk off of a pretty pass from James Harden to give Houston their biggest lead of the game.