The Boston Celtics defeated the Houston Rockets, 107-97, at Toyota Center on Sunday evening.

The Celtics (1-2) came into the contest in a bit of desperation mode after dropping the first two games of the season and suffering a particularly worrisome 32-point loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday night. Things weren't going much better to start Sunday's contest, either, as the Rockets (1-2) owned a 30-22 lead after the first 12 minutes. That seemed to finally wake Boston from its early-season slumber, as the Celtics went on to enjoy a 67-42 advantage over the middle periods that set them up for a win that was more comfortable than the final score would imply. Neither team shot more than 45.0 percent, but Houston's 18 turnovers helped fuel the visitors' middle-game surge.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 31 points, adding nine rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. Dennis Schroder and Grant Williams generated matching 18-point tallies, with the former adding five rebounds and five assists and the latter supplying three boards and two assists. Al Horford mustered a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included one assist, three steals and three blocks.

Jalen Green paced the Rockets with 30 points, complementing them with four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal. Christian Wood furnished 20 points, nine boards, one assist and one steal. Kevin Porter turned in 15 points, three rebounds and three assists. Jae'Sean Tate provided 12 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.

The Celtics remain on the road and visit the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, while the Rockets make the short trip to visit the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.