The Celtics saw a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter melt within a matter of minutes. An Amen Thompson game-winner then proved to be the dagger, ending in another disappointing night for the defending champions. The team has been inconsistent over the past ten games, winning just five. It’s mostly been relevant to their shooting conundrums. However, while it did exist tonight, Joe Mazzulla didn’t blame his players. As for Jaylen Brown, he felt this was a loss the Celtics could digest for one reason.
Dillion Brooks inflicted serious damage, hitting a career-high 1o threes and scoring 36 points in Houston’s thrilling two-point win. That’s one of the reasons it makes it easier for Jaylen Brown to live with the result. Brooks’ contribution wasn’t something the Celtics had prepared for.
“I mean tonight our game plan wasn’t, I mean Nobody would’ve expected Dillon Brooks to hit 10 threes. So, I think you live with it,” Brown said in his presser.
Jaylen Brown was asked about playing the math after Dillion Brooks (10 threes) became the latest player to torch the #Celtics from deep:
“Nobody would’ve expected Dillon Brooks to hit 10 threes. So, I think you live with it.” pic.twitter.com/mpkmm4ctZ8
— Justin Turpin (@JustinmTurpin) January 28, 2025
The Celtics coach felt the Shamrocks played well for “47 minutes and 30 seconds” against the Rockets. The game that featured 13 lead changes and heavy turnarounds rested on the last few possessions. And Mazzulla felt it was his decisions that cost the Celtics tonight, rather than the players.
“Those last two plays were on me. Those were my fault. I didn’t put us in the best matchups. I saw the play that they were trying to run I tried to you know change the matchups that put our guys in a tough spot. So that’s a tough one because I thought our guys did everything to win the game,” he said in his press conference.
Brooks wasn’t part of the Rockets’ last four points. Those came from their set plays out of timeouts. The first was an easy dunk for Alperen Sengun as the Celtics left the paint unprotected. And after Tatum’s game-tying layup, Thompson capped his career night with 33 points by shaking off Jaylen Brown to hit the game-winning floater.
Mazzulla saw those plays coming. However, he admitted to being “too late” in sorting out the right matchups. But as a team, the Celtics did show their will to keep fighting. They overcame a drastic Rockets lead to retake the lead in the fourth quarter. Yet, a 13-0 run, led heavily by Amen Thompson changed the momentum quickly.
Physicality once again proves to be the Celtics’ downfall
Although Joe Mazzulla takes the blame for the loss, he identified just what is going against the Celtics in their turbulent stretch. When speaking to the Boston Globe, the tactical head coach spoke about how opponents are imposing their physicality against them.
“Obviously I think physicality is up as a league in general. I think we’re being cross-matched [teams seeking mismatches or using a bigger player to defend a smaller player] more than we have in the past. We had some phases of that last year in spurts, in the playoffs but I think the physicality is up,” he said after a win against the Mavericks.
A team such as the Houston Rockets thrives by playing intense defense. Likewise, that played in their favor tonight. Aside from Porzingis and Payton Pritchard, no Celtic player shot even 35% from three. Moreover, Thompson’s smothering play limited Jayson Tatum to a 5-14 shooting tonight. It curbed the Boston offense, especially in the times they needed a splash during the middle phase of the game.
Jan 27, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks (9), forward Amen Thompson (1) and guard Jalen Green (4) react after defeating the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
The Rockets’ tenacity also forced 14 Celtic turnovers. Houston only had 7. It resulted in them outscoring Boston 21-7 through turnovers alone. Such intensity is something the reigning champions are still adjusting to. However, considering their gloomy run, Mazzulla might feel a little light after tonight’s performance.
Even without a shooting threat like Derrick White and Jayson Tatum having an off-night, the Celtics managed to have their moments. It’s just those errors down the stretch that let the game slip away from them. If anything is known about Boston’s head coach though is that he will figure things out.
And it shouldn’t be long before the champions reinstate their dominance given they find a strategic fix.
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