Overview
- Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 26 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in Houston’s 109-93 win on Monday night.
- Houston never trailed and did heavy damage in transition and the paint, outscoring Boston 18-2 on the fast break and 50-34 in the paint.
- Boston’s five-game winning streak ended after a poor night from long range and visible fatigue on the second night of a back-to-back, as Jayson Tatum shot 5-for-16 and the team’s primary shooters combined for only two 3-pointers.
- Roster availability shaped the game: Houston rested Clint Capela with a right ankle sprain while former Celtic Marcus Smart used his familiarity to disrupt Boston, and Mitchell Robinson briefly left with a thumb issue before returning with his hand taped.
- The Rockets’ 7-1 start, their best since 2014-15, put them atop the West after Memphis’s loss, a strong early-season sign that shifts momentum but does not determine the full-season pecking order.