There will be a contrast in styles at the offensive end of the court when the Houston Rockets visit the Boston Celtics on Saturday night.
Boston, coming home from a 109-108 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, lead the league in 3-point attempts with an average of 47.8 per game. The Rockets, who are averaging 30.8 3-point attempts per contest, 27th in the NBA, typically elect to use a bigger lineup.
Four of Houston’s five starters on Wednesday in a 139-121 victory over the Toronto Raptors were 6-foot-7 or taller. That resulted in a 53-22 rebounding advantage. The Rockets outscored the Raptors 66-36 in the paint, but Toronto did shoot 52.5% (21 of 40) from behind the 3-point arc.
The Celtics’ perimeter play is spread nicely, as Sam Hauser (21 3-pointers), Jaylen Brown (19), Anfernee Simons (18) and Derrick White (16) are all threats from deep.
“In general I think we play against some teams with a nothing-to-lose attitude and are going to let it fly,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “That’s the way of the league now. As long as the guys that we want shooting are taking them, we’ll live with it and adjust if need be.”
Houston opened the season with back-to-back losses but has scored 276 points in its two games since then, winning both. The Rockets are averaging 127.8 points per game despite the absence of point guard Fred VanVleet, who tore his ACL before the start of training camp.
The Rockets’ offense hasn’t suffered without VanVleet largely because of Alperen Sengun, a 6-foot-11 center who has taken his game to another level this season. Through four games, the 23-year-old Turkey native is averaging 23.8 points and 7.3 assists per game, both career highs, to go with 8.0 rebounds.
Houston has outscored opponents by 61 points when Sengun has been on the court.
“Teams are trying to hide some guys on him and he’s making them pay on the glass,” Udoka said. “Some post-ups. He’s being ultra-aggressive on kickouts and driving the basketball. More confident with his body. We’ve talked about that — how he’s improved his strength, and that carries over into the game.”
Boston began the season with three straight losses, but the victory over Philadelphia extended the Celtics’ winning streak to three games. Brown has been the team’s leading scorer in five of its six games, including a 32-point effort on Friday.
The Celtics are 1-1 at home this season.
“I think every game we have showed more minutes of who we need to be on a consistent basis,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “First game played good for like 12 minutes. Second game like 24. Third game like 30. I think we’ve put together 36 or more (since then), and we just have to continue to build an identity of what we want to be.
“It has to become just an every-night thing, and we have to chip away at it. So I credit the guys. They have a great mentality, a care factor of trying to win and doing what it takes. So that’s usually a good recipe for long-term success.”
As for the Rockets’ offense, Kevin Durant is averaging a team-high 27.5 points per game in his first season with the club.
“I coached (Durant) in Brooklyn so I knew this about him: He’s very unselfish,” Udoka said. “He’ll take whatever the game gives him. And so if they’re going to guard him one-on-one, he’s there to get those shots, but he also understands the amount of attention he attracts. He’s a willing passer.”
