Derrick White had 23 points and Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard added 20 each to lead the Boston Celtics to a 109-86 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

A lack of consistent minutes could be making it difficult for Sheppard to get in a rhythm. That role is partly due to the Rockets not being in a position to let him play through his mistakes. After finishing last season with the No. 11 record in the West, they have risen up to the No. 2 spot. Every win matters for this team.

Pregame updates and news from the Rockets' NBA game against the Celtics at Toyota Center, where Rockets coach Ime Udoka faces his former team.

Derrick White had 23 points and Jayson Tatum and Payton Pritchard added 20 each to lead the Boston Celtics to a 109-86 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.The Celtics led by 10 after three and scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter to push their advantage to 93-72.

Here are four Celtics takeaways from Friday’s game:

With Kristaps Porziņģis and Luke Kornet guarding the rim, Houston and coach Ime Udoka had a rough time in Boston's 109-86 win.

Houston Rockets' Alperen Sengun (28) goes up for a shot as Boston Celtics' Derrick White (9) and Luke Kornet defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip) AP

Sam Hauser, who had 15 points Thursday night filling in for Brown, didn’t score Friday night. Rockets: Houston started 38-year-old Jeff Green for the first time this season with news Friday that ...

Jalen Green had 27 points for the Rockets ... trouble handling Houston despite playing without Jaylen Brown, who missed a second straight game with a shoulder strain. Sam Hauser, who had 15 ...