The Houston Rockets face a tough challenge on the road against the defending NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, on Monday night.
To make matters more difficult, the Rockets will need to contend with Derrick White, who seems to have snapped out of his shooting slump after a strong performance in the Celtics’ 122-107 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.
White had been struggling, shooting only 37.4% in the first 12 games of January. However, he bounced back with 23 points against the Mavericks, including making seven of his next ten shots after a slow start. White’s 16 points in the third quarter were key in the Celtics’ victory.
“We’re a different beast when D-White gets going,” said Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis. “He started hitting floaters, 3s, and deep corner 3s. He hit so many daggers for us. That brings us to another level.”
The Celtics’ starting lineup had a great performance, with each player scoring at least 17 points. They made 20 of their 52 attempts from beyond the arc, hitting 38.5% of their 3-point shots.
“We got a lot of talent and it’s nice when we’re all clicking like that,” White said.
On the other hand, Houston comes into the game having won two straight and with a solid 9-1 record on the road since December 8.
The Rockets are getting strong contributions from Amen Thompson, who scored 23 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists in their 135-131 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.
Thompson, the fourth pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, is averaging 13.2 points this season, but he has been even more impressive in his last 10 games, averaging 17.7 points per game. He has also posted at least 10 rebounds in three of his last four games.
“He’s playing great,” said Houston’s Alperen Sengun. “He’s playing both ends great, under the rim. They’re helping a lot on me and Jalen (Green), and when they help, Amen is pushing them under the rim. And defense — he can guard anybody in this league and he’s giving everyone a hard time. So he’s so important for us.”
Houston coach Ime Udoka also praised Thompson’s defense in the Cavaliers game.
“He’s pretty much ready to take on whatever, whether it’s one through five, and he did that,” Udoka said. “He started on Mobley, switched to Garland and Mitchell, obviously late in the game. And it’s a lot to ask of somebody, and he comes up with a triple-double, big defensive stops, rebounds and all of the above.”
Monday’s game will be the second meeting between the two teams this season. In their first matchup on January 3, the Celtics won 109-86. White led Boston with 23 points in that game, while Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 20.
The Celtics led by 10 after three quarters and started the fourth quarter with an 11-0 run. Houston’s Jalen Green scored 27 points, but the Rockets shot just 36.4% from the field.
Thompson did not play in that first game because he was serving the second game of a suspension after an altercation with Miami’s Tyler Herro.
