The Boston Celtics will try to retain the NBA’s only unbeaten home record when they face the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Boston set a franchise record for consecutive home wins at the start of a season when it improved to 18-0 by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-120 in overtime Wednesday. The 1957-58 Celtics won their first 17 home games.
Ime Udoka’s return to Boston is another top storyline entering the Saturday game. Udoka, who is in his first season as Houston’s head coach, led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in the 2021-22 season but was dismissed by the team after that season for having an improper work relationship.
The Celtics will be trying to bounce back from a 135-102 loss at Milwaukee on Thursday. It was Boston’s second game in as many days and its fifth game in a seven-day stretch.
Milwaukee went on a 25-0 run in the first half and led 75-38 at halftime. Boston coach Joe Mazzulla didn’t play his starters in the second half, though he said the move wasn’t made to send a message to his team.
Houston ended a two-game losing streak by beating the host Detroit Pistons 112-110 on Friday. The Rockets received 29 points from Alperen Sengun and 28 from Jalen Green. Fred VanVleet scored 17 points in the second half and finished the game with 20 points and 12 assists.
VanVleet and Sengun scored 22 of Houston’s 24 fourth-quarter points.
Detroit’s Jaden Ivey had an open look for what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds to play, but the ball hit the rim and bounced out.
