Defense has been the driving force behind the Houston Rockets' turnaround under first-year coach Ime Udoka in 2023-24. You certainly wouldn't have known it on Sunday, though, when the Boston Celtics ran right through the Rockets en route to a 145-113 victory during Udoka's initial return to TD Garden.

After the game, the former Celtics coach directly criticized his new team's defense, quipping that he wished opposing teams defended Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum like Houston did on Saturday when he was roaming the sidelines in Boston.

“It’s what I saw for a year anyway, the way they are talented and can score and play. I didn’t love our physicality and understanding, how we made them a little bit too comfortable, and a lot of those walk-in shots were just uncontested,” Udoka said of the Rockets' defense on Brown and Tatum. “Knowing you want to try to break their rhythm and be a little more physical with them, I would’ve loved for people to guard them the way we guard them tonight when I was here.”

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Brown played one of his best games of the season against Houston, exploding for 32 points on 15 shots in just 28 minutes of action. Tatum was just as dominant, stuffing the stat sheet with 27 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Together, the Celtics' stars went 20-of-37 overall and 8-of-13 from deep versus the Rockets, leading a team-wide onslaught that resulted in a 135.5 offensive rating—the second-highest efficiency Houston has allowed since the season tipped off.

Udoka shouldn't be too miffed by the Rockets' defensive performance, by the way. Boston's rebuilt roster has been gashing some of basketball's best defenses all season, up to third in offensive rating behind the Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks entering Monday's clash with the Toronto Raptors.