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Wednesday November 5, 2008 1:00 AM

Celtics Hand Houston First Loss, 103-99


Rockets' rally falls short in fourth quarter

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Click here to listen to highlights from the Rockets postgame show.

HOUSTON - The Rockets showed they can go toe-to-toe with the NBA's best. But the champs showed why they're still the team to beat.

Amid a boisterous crowd belying the fact it was merely the fourth game of the regular season, Boston outlasted the resilient Rockets 103-99. The loss dropped Houston's record to 3-1.

"It was tough game," lamented coach Rick Adelman. "They really hurt us on the boards in the first half. We were right there through everything we did, shooting 37 percent from the floor. We did a better job on the boards in the second half, but we just didn't play a complete game for the whole 48 minutes and you have to against that team."

It was a game of runs right from the outset. Houston jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, but had its momentum halted when Yao Ming (8 points, 7 rebounds) picked up two quick fouls within the game's first six minutes - a moment which, in retrospect, loomed especially large given the fact Yao never seemed to find his rhythm from that point forward.

"The early fouls changed my game a little bit but they cannot be my excuse," said Yao after the game. "I played a bad game and probably one of my worst games in a long time. I need to figure out what happened besides picking up early fouls."

With Houston's big man on the bench, the Celtics seized control for the rest of the first quarter; primarily due to their absolute domination of the offensive glass. Boston racked up six offensive boards in the first quarter alone, on its way to a 16-9 rebound advantage.

The second quarter began with more of the same and it momentarily looked like the defending champs might turn this much-anticipated showdown into a one-sided romp. But after Boston's bulge grew to 16 points, the Rockets went on a remarkable 25-4 run keyed by Houston's second unit and some inspired playmaking from Tracy McGrady (26 points, 6 assists, 3 steals).

But by the time the dust settled at the end of the first half, Boston was back on top, leading 58-53 - a shocking score not at all befitting this clash featuring two of the best defensive teams in the league.

As expected, the pace slowed a bit in the second half with both teams taking turns seizing the momentum. Kendrick Perkins came up big for Boston, knocking down three consecutive midrange jumpers on his way to 8 third quarter points. Meanwhile, McGrady and Luis Scola countered with 10 and 9, respectively, to pull Houston within three heading into the final frame.

That's when Ray Allen took over. The Celtics' sharpshooter lit up Houston in the fourth quarter with an array of jumpers, taking advantage of his match-up against a still-hobbled T-Mac. Allen led all scorers with 29 points, while also adding 5 rebounds and 5 assists for good measure.

“We set a whole lot of picks for Ray and it’s hard for anyone to chase Ray around the court," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I’m sure Tracy is not 100% after his surgery and it will take him a [while] to be healthy.”

Despite Allen's heroics, Houston kept the Celtics within striking distance until the game's final seconds. And for all their mistakes, or perhaps because of them, it was the kind of contest which showed the Rockets not only how good they can be, but how much better they'll have to get in order to fully realize their championship aspirations.

"We did not play well at all," summed up Ron Artest. "Usually you can say, 'you've got to give them credit,' but there were things that we could have done better to pull out the victory. It is still early but we will be okay. We missed some wide open shots. Yao missed a couple of layups and that is not going to happen [ very often]. When he gets going, you pretty much have to double him and scramble. You can't really look into this loss too much."

Notes & Quotes

Rick Adelman

(On the bench's play) "They did a nice job, especially in the second quarter when they came in. I thought we were in pretty good shape with Yao hardly playing in the first half."

(On the team's rebounding) "We got pounded on the boards. They are a big, physical team around the basket and we know that's an area we really need to work on because we're not that big when Yao's out, but it's something we keep talking about and we really have to concentrate on it."

TRACY MCGRADY

(On his knee) "I feel good. I have to ice it. You know it is going to take me some time to get it right. I landed awkwardly when I came down on that three so it tweaked a little bit but I'll be fine."

(On playing without Yao) "They took him out early even without the foul trouble, he was in the game. When he was in the game, they were fronting and backing him. It was hard to get him the ball. He was struggling offensively tonight and he couldn't get in a good rhythm but we were right there. I think what killed us in this game was too many turnovers."

RAFER ALSTON

(On the fourth quarter) "Our inability to get stops when we really needed them and being able to go in and capitalize. That was pretty much it and not being able to establish Yao (Ming) in the game. We had to pull him out in the first half for foul trouble."

(On the chance to steal the game) "We hung tough defensively in stretches that we needed. I think they got going when they needed to but we needed to establish ourselves on that end. Sometimes down the stretch it just comes to a matter of making it."

YAO MING

(On being competitive despite shooting badly) " I think the reason we were able to stay in the game was because of free throws. We had 24 out of 28 from the line and that made a difference. Also, we had some fast break points which really helped us during the game."

AARON BROOKS

(On the loss) " Everybody came out and played hard. The ball didn't bounce our way. We didn't execute at the end and we lost the game."

(On the intensity and physical nature of the game) "I knew it was going to be intense. They (Celtics) just lost a game against Indiana and I knew we were going to get their best shot today because they are a great team. When you've got two teams like that, it's going to be a battle. It was great competition. We missed a couple of shots that they made and those things decide the game."

CELTICS COACH DOC RIVERS

(on the game) "I was proud of the way our guys played. It was a big game for both teams. We set the tone in the first quarter. Every time we got the lead they fought back. It was great execution by our team and Ray Allen had an outstanding game. The biggest difference was Yao got in foul trouble. I though Perkins and Davis did a good job on defending him.

(on the McGrady 3-point foul) “There is no doubt about it that he was passing the ball. It was a judgment call and a bad call but it was also a bad foul on our part and there was no excuse for it.”

(on the Rockets second quarter come back) “I thought Brooks and Barry turned the game around for them with their overall play. I thought Houston was first to the floor in the first half and we were first to the floor in the second half.”

PAUL PIERCE

(on the game) “The Rockets are a good team but we came ready to play. We moved the ball around well and Ray Allen got hot and that was the difference. We are a defensive team and I thought we made the game a little tougher than it should have been.”

RAJON RONDO

(on the game) “Definitely, it was a great win. We bounced back after our loss and executed down the stretch and got stops on defense. I though our big guys did a big job defending Yao. It was a great team effort.”

KENDRICK PERKINS

(on defending Yao ) “I try and make him work as hard as I can and make things real tough on him. I thought we did an awesome job. He doesn’t show much emotion but he is such a great player.”

(on his play) “I knocked down my shots. I can’t even remember the last time I hit two jumpers in a row, yet alone three. I bought 75 tickets for family and friends and it was good to get a win. It was a great team win and we got back to playing Celtic ball.”

GLEN DAVIS

(on defending Yao ) “We had a game plan, Celtic defense, together as one. We had a strategy that the coaches gave us and we did the job. You try and be a pest and make him (Yao) mad. He got frustrated. It was a good team win.”

Notes

The Rockets had their seven-game home winning streak (3/24/08-11/1/08) snapped tonight with a 103-99 loss to Boston . In the process, the Celtics set Houston ’s opponent highs this season for points and field goal percentage (.519, 40-77 FG). The last opponent to shoot above .500 at Toyota Center during the regular season was Sacramento (.519 on 3/24/08).

Despite the four-point loss, Houston overcame a 16-point, second-quarter deficit by making a 25-4 run and taking a 52-47 lead with 2:50 left in the first half. In last season’s first meeting between the Rockets and Celtics, Houston trailed by as much as 20 points in the second quarter and actually took a 79-78 lead with 8:56 to play at Boston (1/2/08).

The Rockets hit 19-of-41 (.463) from the field over the first two quarters, marking their best shooting half at home this season. The previous high was 15-for-37 (.405) from the floor in the second half vs. Oklahoma City (11/1/08).

After a combined 0-for-17 effort from beyond the arc by Memphis and Oklahoma City, Ray Allen tonight became the first Houston opponent to connect on a regular season 3-pointer at Toyota Center since Smush Parker with the L.A. Clippers (4/16/08).

Tracy McGrady recorded a season-high 26 points (9-18 FG, 7-8 FT), six assists and three steals. He already has a pair of three-steal performances just four games into the season. McGrady had three or more steals in a game just four times last season, including a 2007-08 season-high four vs. Orlando (12/19/07).

Luis Scola notched his first 20-point game of the season tonight, finishing with 21 points (9-15 FG, 3-3 FT) and a team-high nine rebounds.

Rafer Alston had a season-high seven assists to lead the Rockets tonight.

Yao Ming finished with eight points tonight. It was the first time Yao was held under 10 points in a game since a nine-point outing vs. Golden State (4/4/07), which was a span of 63 consecutive games in which he reached double-figure scoring.

Ray Allen led the Celtics with a season-best 29 points (11-15 FG, 2-6 3FG, 5-5 FT). All five Boston starters actually reached double-digit scoring, which marked the first Houston opponent to accomplish that feat this season.

Kendrick Perkins added a season-high 15 points (7-8 FG) tonight. Perkins scored just 10 total points in two games with the Rockets last season.

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