By ESPN | Created at 2025-01-28 04:33:26 | Updated at 2025-01-30 18:40:38
2 days ago
ESPN News Services
Jan 27, 2025, 11:07 PM ET
BOSTON -- Amen Thompson hit a game-winning floater with 0.7 seconds left and finished with 33 points to lead the Houston Rockets to a 114-112 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday night.
Dillon Brooks shot 10 of 15 from 3-point range and led Houston with 36 points. The Rockets won for the ninth time in 11 games.
Jaylen Brown had 28 points for the Celtics, and Jayson Tatum added 19 after a scoreless first half. Luke Kornet had 18 and Kristaps Porzingis scored 17 to go with eight rebounds.
Rockets leading scorer Jalen Green was held to 12 points.
Thompson broke free off an inbounds play and went in for an easy dunk, pushing Houston in front 112-110. But after a timeout, Tatum got the ball near midcourt and drove in for the tying layup with 5.3 seconds left. Thompson responded by taking the ball from just outside the 3-point line and driving to the rim to hit the game-winner over Brown.
"That was my first game-winner," said Thompson, who set a career-high with his 33 points. "I feel like Kobe."
Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla blamed the last two defensive breakdowns on himself.
"Those last two plays were on me," he said. "Those were my fault. Didn't put us in the best matchups, I saw the play that they were trying to run and I tried to change the matchups and put our guys in a tough spot."
The Celtics easily won the first meeting between the teams in Houston on Jan. 3.
Houston coach Ime Udoka said before the game that forward Cam Whitmore was "sick and back at the hotel." For the Celtics, center Al Horford a very late scratch after going through warmups while Derrick White (bruised right shin) and Sam Hauser (right hip) were both out.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
