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

The Celtics led by 10 points after three games and scored the first 11 points of the fourth quarter to extend their lead to 93-72. White, Kristaps Porzingis and Pritchard made three-pointers in the period to help the Celtics win their third straight.

Boston had a 21-point lead with about 4 1/2 minutes left when coach Joe Mazzulla cleared the bench.

Porzingis scored 11 points with five rebounds in his return after missing four games with a sprained left ankle.

Jalen Green had 27 points for the Rockets. They lost for the third time in four games.

Takeaways

Celtics: Boston had no problems with Houston despite playing without Jaylen Brown, who missed a second straight game with a shoulder strain. Sam Hauser, who had 15 points for Brown on Thursday night, did not score on Friday night.

Rockets: Houston started 38-year-old Jeff Green for the first time this season as news broke Friday that Jabari Smith Jr. could be out for up to two months after breaking a bone in his hand in a shootout. Amen Thompson, the fourth pick in the 2023 draft, will represent him moving forward after serving a two-game suspension Friday night for a fight with Miami’s Tyler Herro last weekend.

Key moment

Boston’s big run to start the fourth quarter and expand the lead to 21 points.

Key statistics

The Rockets made just 32 of 88 shots, with Green making 10 of 21 and Cam Whitmore making just 4 of 17 shots.

Next

The Celtics visit Oklahoma City on Sunday and the Rockets host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba