BOSTON — Two days after arguably their best win of the season – a Christmas Day blowout over the Bucks – the Celtics were, almost naturally, looking a step slow against one of the worst teams in the NBA.
Their 3-pointers weren’t falling again. They looked sloppy at times. There were several defensive lapses. A young and energetic Rockets squad – even on the second game of their back to back – was going toe to toe with them.
But then, like a switch, the Celtics finally woke up. Maybe sensing what could have been an embarrassing loss, the C’s picked up their defensive energy. Despite their shooting struggles, they were playing a team inferior enough that it didn’t matter. Behind a second-half surge fueled by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics – without interim head coach Joe Mazzulla, who missed the game with an eye irritation – figured it out when it mattered en route to a 126-102 win over the Rockets.
