Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – James Harden filled the stat sheet with 26
points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals as the Houston Rockets
routed the Boston Celtics 104-90 on Saturday night.
The Rockets raced out to a 14-4 start and never looked back in their wire-to-
wire victory.
Terrence Jones posted 25 points and 10 rebounds for Houston, which is off to a
3-0 start.
“I like the spirit of the team. They’re willing to work and if you’re willing
to work you’re going to get better,” Rockets head coach Kevin McHale said.
Jared Sullinger tallied 14 points and nine boards and Jeff Green netted 17
points for the Celtics, who defeated Brooklyn in their season opener
on Wednesday.
Boston was 1-of-25 from beyond the arc.
“I thought (the Rockets) really played aggressively out of the gate; more
aggressively than we did at either end of the court,” Celtics head coach Brad
Stevens said.
Jones put in eight quick points as the Rockets raced out to their early 14-4
advantage and that margin stretched to as many as 19 in the opening frame
before Houston took a 37-22 spread into the second.
Houston led 57-38 at halftime and 81-62 after three.
The Rockets’ margin reached as high as 26 in the final stanza prior to them
cruising to the easy triumph.
Game Notes
The Rockets shot 42.1 percent (32-of-76) from the floor and were 12-of-34
(35.3 percent) from 3-point range … Boston, meanwhile, shot 37.8 percent
(37-of-98) from the field.
