The Rockets report, brought to you by APG&E: Rockets edge the Celtics in OT 111-110

The Rockets report, brought to you by APG&E: Rockets edge the Celtics in OT 111-110

The Rockets beat the Celtics in a close overtime matchup on the road in Boston with a final score of 111-110. The Rockets nearly beat the Celtics in regulation but the Celtics were able to tie the game with a late Jaylen Brown three-pointer in the fourth quarter.

James Harden's two free throws put the Rockets up in OT and this time the Celtics missed their shot at the buzzer so Houston could escape with the win.

Star of the game: Russell Westbrook continues his recent tear. He scored 41 points on 16 of 27 shooting and added eight rebounds and five assists. Westbrook has thrived in the small ball lineup and the Rockets are better for it.

Coming up: The Rockets now head to New York where they will face the Knicks on Monday.

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Houston wins again! Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images.

Emanuel Sharpe scored 26 points, LJ Cryer had 20 and second-ranked Houston stifled No. 17 BYU in a 74-54 victory Friday night that moved the Cougars into the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the second consecutive season.

Milos Uzan added 14 points and Mylik Wilson pulled down 13 rebounds, helping the tournament's top seed jump to a big early lead and roll into Saturday night's matchup with Arizona on a 12-game win streak.

Houston (29-4) played without J'Wan Roberts, its leading rebounder, after he sprained his ankle early in the second half of the Cougars' quarterfinal win over Colorado. Roberts watched from the bench with his right foot in a walking boot.

He got to watch quite a defensive show by one of the nation's best.

Houston forced BYU to miss its first nine shots, including seven from beyond the arc, where coach Kevin Young's team had set a Big 12 Tournament record with 18 made 3s on its way to 96 points in a quarterfinal win over Iowa State. That nearly seven-minute lull allowed Houston to roar to a 15-0 lead that it spent the rest of the game protecting.

BYU trimmed its 40-21 halftime deficit to 13 midway through the second half but never threatened to come all the way back.

Keba Keita had 14 points and 12 rebounds for BYU. Dawson Baker scored 11 points and Richie Saunders had 10.

Takeaways

BYU still has not won a conference tournament title since 2001 in the Mountain West.

Houston lived up to its billing as the nation's No. 1 team in defensive efficiency.

Key moment

Sharpe converted a four-point play with 13:40 left in the first half to give Houston its 15-0 lead.

Key stat

Houston has beaten BYU by an average of 25.5 points in their two games this season.

Up next

Houston will play the Wildcats for the Big 12 title.

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