Rockets 104, Celtics 90
James Harden hit all 14 of his free throws en route to 26 points as host Houston started fast and cruised past cold-shooting Boston.
Terrence Jones finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds as the Rockets recorded their third straight win to begin the season, all by double digits. Dwight Howard chipped in 14 points, eight boards and a pair of blocked shots.
Jeff Green scored 17 points and Jared Sullinger had 14 to pace Boston, which missed its first 21 3-point attempts until Green hit one with 4:09 remaining. The Celtics shot 37.8 percent overall after producing a 55.7 percent effort in a 121-105 season-opening win over Brooklyn on Wednesday.
Jones had four points in the first minute of the game and 12 in the opening quarter as Houston led by as many as 19 points late in the period. The advantage reached 20 midway through the second and Howard scored to make it 52-30 with 3:31 left before halftime.
Boston battled to within 64-53 on Sullinger's tip-in with 5:07 to go in the third but the Rockets scored the next seven points and led 81-62 entering the final 12 minutes. Jason Terry's 3-pointer opened the scoring in the fourth to build the advantage back to 22 points and the lead reached 26 before the Rockets began to empty the bench.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Celtics C Kelly Olynyk, who had a team-high 19 points in the season-opening win over Brooklyn, was limited to eight points in 15 minutes. ... Boston finished 1-for-25 from beyond the arc. ... Harden chipped in eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and a blocked shot.