Alperen Sengun posted 26 points and 10 assists and the Houston Rockets used a 10-0 fourth-quarter rally to seal a 109-93 win over the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday.
Sengun capped the run with a hook shot that lifted the Rockets to a 97-79 lead. His basket followed a trio of Houston 3-pointers, two from Marcus Smart and another from Reed Sheppard, plus a Sheppard layup.
After Boston clawed within 13, Sengun passed out of a trap and assisted on an Amen Thompson dunk with 2:29 left that secured the win.
Sengun added seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
Jabari Smith Jr. (14 points, 10 rebounds) also posted a double-double for the Rockets, who have won seven of eight games this season. Thompson added 14 points while Tari Eason chipped in 13 points and two blocks off the bench. Houston shot 54.4% and outscored the Celtics 50-34 on paint points.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 19 points and nine assists, but he missed 11 of 16 shots. Neemias Queta posted 16 points and six rebounds while Luka Garza added 14 points and four 3-pointers off the bench for the Celtics, who had their five-game winning streak snapped.
The Rockets struggled to pull away until their fourth-quarter rally. A Sengun block resulted in a transition 3-pointer from Smith that stretched the gap to 75-68 in the third, and Kevin Durant (12 points) sank his lone shot attempt in the second half with 16.9 seconds left to give Houston an 82-73 lead entering the fourth.
The Rockets took their first double-digit advantage at 25-15 following back-to-back Eason 3-pointers, but the Celtics closed the first period with a 14-4 rally keyed by Tatum.
Tatum started the run with a four-point possession and an assist before Garza drilled a pair of 3-pointers that pulled the Celtics even. The score was 29-29 entering the second quarter.
Houston led by 11 three times in the second quarter, but a late Tatum 3-pointer shaved the margin to 57-50 at the intermission.
The Celtics and Rockets combined to shoot 12-for-39 (30.8%) from behind the arc in the first half.
–Field Level Media
