The Boston Celtics entered Monday night having won five games in a row, traveling to Houston to take on a high-powered Houston Rockets team. Familiar faces on the other side as former Celtics coach Ime Udoka and former guard Marcus Smart are now in Houston, and similar to Boston, also only have one loss in the early regular season.
The magic would run out for Boston in this game, as they were without one of their main pieces in Paul George who was rested on Monday night. It was an usually rough night for Jayson Tatum, who came into the game averaging 28 points per game and was held to just 19, and he did not get much support behind around him, especially with George on the bench.
Houston's win improved them to 7-1 on the season, while Boston falls
to 6-2, in a game that showcased two of the best teams in the league early this year.
Final score: Houston Rockets 109, Boston Celtics 93
Keys to the game:
No help from supporting cast: With Paul George missing the game, it was a rough night for the supporting cast around Jayson Tatum who also struggled. After Tatum, Neemias Queta and Baylor Scheierman were the next leading scorers, as Payton Pritchard and Derrick White struggled to find points. The Celtics will have to get this right, as George is likely to have plenty of veteran rest days during the season, so the lineup around Tatum will have to step up accordingly.
Alperen Sengun's big night: Sengun is one of the most talented big men in the NBA, and proved why with a near triple-double on Monday night. Finishing the game with 26 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds, Sengun was able to do it all for Houston, facilitating their offense both through his own scoring ability, and finding his teammates throughout the game.
Poor shooting: The lack of production from the entire Celtics lineup can be boiled down to a very poor shooting night from all over the floor. Shooting just 39-percent from the field and 29-percent from 3-point range, and that will always bring an uphill battle to an offense. Boston could've been much more competitive in this game if they had just a few more shots go in, but that was not the case on Monday.
Highlight of the game: Jayson Tatum finds Mitchell Robinson with the alley-oop
GO GET IT 😤 pic.twitter.com/3yksnqTRl3
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) November 3, 2026
What's next: vs. Milwaukee Bucks, Wednesday, November 4, 7:30PM ET
Looking to get right back in the win column, the Celtics will return home to take on a rebuilding Milwaukee Bucks team that is in their first season without Giannis Antetokounmpo who was traded to the Miami Heat this offseason. Milwaukee has just one win on the season, and are currently led in scoring by Tyler Herro, one of the main trade pieces they received from Miami in the blockbuster deal this summer. Paul George should be expected back in this game for Boston, who have a great opportunity to right their wrong early in the week.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Short-handed Celtics have winning streak ended by Houston Rockets
