Houston out-hustles Boston: 10 Takeaways from Celtics/Rockets

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images1. Just like a few weeks ago, the Celtics losing to the Rockets isn’t concerning by itself. Houston is a really good team and has played well since they downsized their lineup. However, once again, it is concerning how the Celtics lost.

Going against a playoff style defense that was physical and really amped up the ball pressure, Boston wilted in the second half and late in overtime. Sure, the Celtics had that crazy sequence to force OT, but that masks some very concerning late-game execution. Boston took way too long to get into sets, which was a problem against a dialed-in Houston defense. And those sets often devolved into Jayson Tatum ISOs. While Tatum…