The Boston Celtics were down 20 after one quarter, and 24 at halftime but rallied for a big win over the Houston Rockets Thursday night, while the Bruins dropped a heartbreaker on the road.
At TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics outscored the Houston Rockets 61-36 in the second half to pick up an almost improbable 99-98 win.
Kyrie Irving had 26 points, four rebounds, and four assists for 29-10 Boston. Jayson Tatum added 19 points and five rebounds. Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart also chipped in 13 points a piece. Smart forced two offensive fouls on the leagues leading scorer James Harden in the last 7.3 seconds to help the Celtics comeback.
Harden finished with 34 points, six rebounds, and 10 assists for 25-8 Houston. Harden was only 7-27 from the floor, while hitting 15-15 from the foul line.
Boston will host New Jersey Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
At Verizon Center in Washington, DC, the Boston Bruins led 2-0 after one period and 3-2 in the third, but ultimately fell 4-3 in a shootout to the Washington Capitals.
David Backes scored twice, and Noel Acciari scored the goals for the 20-10-6 Bruins. Anton Khudobin made 31 saves in the loss.
Alexander Ovechkin scored two goals for the Capitals, including the game winner in the shootout. Lars Eller and Brett Connolly had the other Washington markers, as they beat the Bruins for a 12th straight time. Braden Holtby also had 31 saves to earn the victory in the Caps net. Washington moves to 23-13-3.
Boston will visit Ottawa Friday night to battle the Senators at 7 p.m.
