Wednesday’s game against the Boston Celtics should have been a cakewalk for the Houston Rockets. Not only were the Celtics on the second half of a road back-to-back, but they were also missing Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser.
Boston was so depleted that Joe Mazzulla was forced to start backups Baylor Scheierman, Luka Garza and Ron Harper Jr. — a trio with 13 combined NBA starts — alongside Derrick White and Neemias Queta.
The Rockets entered the game favored by 7.5 points, and it probably should have been more. After all, they’d won eight of their last 10 games and were 17-4 at home this season.
Teed up for an easy win, Houston should’ve coasted. Instead, the Rockets lost by 21, getting blown out of their own building.
Houston head coach Ime Udoka, who led the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals, was severely outcoached by Mazzulla. He failed to make meaningful adjustments and was ejected at the end of the third quarter after watching his team go down by 20.
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After the shocking, humiliating loss, Udoka blamed himself as well as his players.
“Overall, as a coaching staff, we should be embarrassed. As the players on the floor, (they) should be embarrassed,” Udoka said during his postgame press conference. He also criticized his team for lacking toughness and attention to detail from the jump.
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The Rockets took an early lead but quickly got bogged down by Boston’s physical, relentless defense. They started slowly and never woke up, scoring just 17 points in the first quarter and 63 points through three periods.
It didn’t help that they got pounded on the boards. The Celtics outrebounded them 57-38, playing with much more hustle, effort and urgency.
Houston trailed by seven points at halftime but wasn’t able to stop the bleeding, getting outscored 36-21 in the third quarter. By the time Udoka got tossed at the end of the period, the game was already over.
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Alperun Sengun joined him in the fourth quarter after getting thrown out as well, putting the final nail in the coffin. The Rockets lost 114-93, blowing a golden opportunity to take advantage of a tired, shorthanded opponent.
Houston will try to bounce back on Thursday night against the Charlotte Hornets at home. Meanwhile, Boston will ride a four-game winning streak into Friday’s home game against the Miami Heat.
