Heading into Saturday night at TD Garden, the Celtics (3-4) were the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, having won three in a row after starting the season 0-3.

But on the strength of future Hall of Fame forward Kevin Durant, the Celtics dipped back below .500, losing to the Rockets (3-2) 128-101 on the second night of a back-to-back.

People like to call these types of losses “scheduled losses,” with the built-in excuse of tired legs after playing a full game the night before.

But for a head coach in Joe Mazzulla who is always preaching that dirt dog mentality, it does feel weird to just accept a wet fart of a performance from his team, regardless of the circumstances at hand.

Anyways, here are some takeaways from tonight’s loss:

1. Most People Say They Saw This Coming…

Over an 82-game NBA grind, some defeats are practically built into the schedule. They’re not necessarily about who the opponent is, but about when the matchup falls.

Saturday night’s meeting with the Rockets fit that mold for Boston. The Celtics were playing the second half of a road-home back-to-back after a down-to-the-wire contest against the 76ers (4-1), their third game in four nights and sixth in nine. Houston, meanwhile, had been idle for two days and had played two fewer games.

“It obviously wasn’t our night. The Rockets played well. Good team. Well coached. They were prepared. And it just wasn’t our night tonight,” Mazzulla said postgame. “That happens over the course of the season, and so it’ll be more important about how we respond on Monday at shootaround and into the game on Monday night.”

2. Fast Start for Houston

The Rockets raced out to a 13-point lead after one quarter and never let Boston close within single digits.

Seven Houston players scored in double figures, led by Durant’s 26 points on 8 of 11 shooting (72.7%). As a team, the Rockets shot 42 of 77 from the field (54.5%), and an astonishing 19 of 29 from three (65.5%) - a striking performance against a Celtics defense that entered the night holding opponents to an NBA-worst 41.1% shooting.

That 65.5% clip from three was the first time in franchise history an opponent has hit over 60% from deep against Boston on at least 25 attempts. In total, nine different Rockets shot 50% or better.

The Celtics, on the other hand, managed to shoot only 40 of 103 overall (38.8%), and were 14 of 44 from long range (31.8%). It marked just the 26th time, including playoffs, that Boston has shot below 40% during Mazzulla’s 304-game tenure.

3. Outmanned, Outsized, Outworked.

There wasn’t much more to it.

Even aside from the scheduling disadvantage, Houston’s size and athleticism was overwhelming.

On opening night, the Rockets’ starting lineup of Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Steven Adams averaged 82.2 inches in height - the tallest starting five in a season opener since that stat began being tracked in 1970.

For Saturday’s rematch, Josh Okogie at 6-foot-4 filled in for Adams, but Houston still started three players taller than any Celtic, each an elite athlete. The result was predictable: a 53–36 rebounding disparity and 11 blocked shots.

This, of course, is not an isolated issue for Boston. Rebounding has been a problem for this team in the early part of the season. That’s going to happen when you lose Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis, Luke Kornet and (yes) Jayson Tatum from your frontcourt from one season to the next. And while I think center Neemias Queta is improving, he still has a long way to go.

4. Loss In-Context

The bright side for Boston is that the schedule finally lightens up after a brutal open to the 2025-26 regular season. And while a 27-point defeat is never easy to swallow, a 3–4 record isn’t disastrous given the circumstances.

The Celtics have already faced four opponents that finished in the top six of their respective conferences last season - Cleveland (3-3), New York (2-3) and Detroit (4-2) in the East, plus Houston in the West. Cleveland, New York, and Houston each won 50 games a year ago.

And make no mistake about it - despite a season from hell in 2024-25, Philadelphia is no slouch either. And they’ve faced them twice!

Considering that level of competition, plus a brutal opening stretch featuring seven games in 11 days and two back-to-backs in different cities, Boston has weathered the storm reasonably well.

Aside from the Houston blowout, the Celtics have been competitive in every game, showing flashes of potential even while adapting to major roster changes and a new system. If they can build on those glimpses as the schedule eases, consistency should follow — and the tough early lessons could pay off later in the season.

Up next for the Celtics - they’ll remain home for a contest with one of the league’s worst teams in Utah (2-3).

That one tips off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.