Rockets Beat Celtics 109-93 as Sengun Snaps Boston’s Five-Game Streak

HOUSTON — The Celtics Rockets matchup on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026, went Houston’s way from the opening tip. Alperen Sengun had 26 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds, and the Houston Rockets beat the Boston Celtics 109-93 at Toyota Center, ending Boston’s five-game winning streak and dropping the Celtics to 5-2.

It was Boston’s first loss since the season opener at Detroit on Oct. 20. Houston improved to 7-1 and, according to The Associated Press, moved into first place in the Western Conference after Memphis lost to New Orleans in overtime. The AP also reported that the Rockets are off to their best start since the 2014-15 season.

How the Rockets pulled away from the Celtics

The first quarter ended tied at 29, but that was as close as Boston got. The ESPN box score shows the Celtics never led at any point, while Houston led for 96 percent of the game and built a lead as large as 18 points. The Rockets won the second quarter 28-21 to take a 57-50 halftime lead, then won the third 25-23 and the fourth 27-20.

Sengun was the engine. He made 12 of his 15 shots, and he finished a game-best plus-21. Jabari Smith Jr. added 14 points and 10 rebounds, Amen Thompson scored 14, Tari Eason had 13 off the bench and Kevin Durant scored 12 on 5-of-6 shooting. Former Celtics guard Marcus Smart had eight points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in 20 minutes off the bench, and the AP wrote that Boston “was frequently flustered” by him.

Tatum, Queta and Garza lead a cold Boston night

Jayson Tatum led Boston with 19 points and nine assists but shot 5 of 16 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range. He made all eight of his free throws. That came one night after he scored 32 in the Celtics’ 108-97 win at Orlando, the fifth win of the streak that ended in Houston.

Neemias Queta was Boston’s most efficient player, scoring 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting with six rebounds. Luka Garza came off the bench to make four 3-pointers and score 14 points. Baylor Scheierman added 11 points and hit 3 of 6 from deep.

The rest of the perimeter group struggled. Derrick White scored seven points on 3-of-12 shooting, Payton Pritchard went 0 for 7 (0 for 5 from 3) and scored four points at the line, and Sam Hauser was 0 for 5 from beyond the arc. Pritchard had scored 30 against Chicago in the Celtics’ 125-111 NBA Cup win over the Bulls last week.

Boston played without Paul George, who the AP said sat out for rest after scoring 17 points in 33 minutes at Orlando on Sunday. Houston was without Clint Capela (right ankle sprain) and Steven Adams (right soleus strain), according to the box score.

By the numbers: where Houston won it

The box score points to three gaps. Houston outscored Boston 50-34 in the paint, a 16-point difference that equals the final margin. The Rockets also won fast-break points 18-2 and assisted on 34 of their 43 made field goals (79 percent), compared with 20 assists on Boston’s 32 made baskets (63 percent), according to TBR calculations from the ESPN box score.

Shooting told the same story. Houston shot 54.4 percent (43 of 79) and 40.0 percent from 3 (14 of 35). Boston shot 38.6 percent (32 of 83) and 28.6 percent from 3 (12 of 42). The Celtics did win a few categories: they grabbed 13 offensive rebounds to Houston’s nine, made 17 of 20 free throws to Houston’s 9 of 13, and finished with 38 total rebounds to 36. Turnovers were close, 16 for Boston and 14 for Houston.

The benches were nearly even, with Boston’s reserves scoring 34 points and Houston’s scoring 35. The difference was the starting lineups: Houston’s starters scored 74 points to 59 for Boston’s starters, a 15-point gap (TBR calculation from the box score).

The 93 points were Boston’s lowest total of the season. Through seven games the Celtics have scored 805 points (115.0 a game) and allowed 764 (109.1 a game), a plus-41 margin, or about plus-5.9 points a game, by TBR’s count from ESPN’s results. Monday’s 16-point loss was the worst margin of their season.

What’s next for the Celtics

Boston returns home to host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night, according to the AP. Houston hosts Minnesota the same night. Fans can follow the rest of the month on The Boston Report’s Celtics schedule page.

Sources

• ESPN: Celtics vs. Rockets box score, Nov. 2, 2026
• The Associated Press via ESPN: Alperen Sengun leads Rockets past Celtics 109-93
• ESPN: Boston Celtics 2026-27 schedule and results

Additional sources

• ESPN: NBA standings
• Wikimedia Commons: Toyota Center featured photo (file photo, CC BY-SA 4.0)