Rockets Lead the Celtics 70-68 in the Third Quarter in Houston's Early-Season Test
Houston, 6-1, led Boston 70-68 with 5:51 left in the third quarter at Toyota Center - a seven-point halftime lead cut to two by a Celtics team riding a five-game win streak on the second night of a back-to-back.
The best early-season records in the building are producing the tightest game of the night. Houston led Boston 70-68 with 5:51 left in the third quarter at Toyota Center on Monday, according to Sportradar's live match listing read at staging - the Texas half of a matchup between a 6-1 Rockets team and a 5-1 Celtics team that had won five straight.
The quarters tell the swing. The first ended 29-29, Houston won the second 28-21 to take a 57-50 halftime lead (VAVEL's live file), and Boston had won the third 18-13 at the last read, closing to two points on a pair of Jayson Tatum free throws at 5:51 - the last points Sportradar's listing recorded. Tatum came in fresh off a 32-point game at Orlando on Sunday, Hoops Nightly noted, and Boston is playing the second night of a back-to-back, without Paul George.
Houston's start is the context: at 6-1 with the bigger scoring margin of the two teams in the Hoops Nightly comparison read this run, the Rockets entered as the early West pace-setter, and a win over the East's form team would be the strongest line on their young resume.
No final is claimed here - the game was in the third quarter at this file's last read. The result files on the next production cycle.
