Ex-Wildcat Damon Stoudamire makes head coaching debut in Celtics' win over Rockets

BOSTON — Acting interim Boston Celtics coach Damon Stoudamire had the perfect plan for his debut in the top job.

"It’s always a little easier when you’ve got JT and JB," Stoudamire said after Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 77 points to lead the Celtics to a 126-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night. "It’s not a bad start."

Brown scored 14 of his 39 points in the third quarter, pouring it on after he was knocked to the parquet by a flagrant foul.

"Sometimes you get a smack in the face, it’s exactly what you need in the middle of a game," Brown said. "Like, ‘Jaylen, what the hell are you doing?’ Smack in the face, then proceed to score the ball."

Tatum added 38 points and eight rebounds, and Stoudamire — the former Arizona Wildcats star and former UA assistant coach — earned a victory in his first game as a head coach after interim coach Joe Mazzulla pulled out 10 minutes before tipoff with an eye problem.

"I found out probably with about 10 on the (pregame) clock. But in a lot of ways that's better," said Stoudamire, whose mother was in town from Las Vegas for Christmas and happened to be at the game. "I’m pretty sure I’m going to check my phone and there’s going to be a lot of people saying ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ Well, I didn’t know."

Robert Williams III grabbed 15 rebounds to go with his 11 points as Boston won its third game in a row. According to Stathead, Brown and Tatum are the first Celtics teammates to score at least 38 points in a game since Larry Bird (48) and Robert Parish (38) in 1985.

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"You've just got to sit back and enjoy the show, and whenever they need you to step in you fill that role," Celtics guard Marcus Smart said. "But they didn’t need it tonight."

Jalen Green scored 28 and Kevin Porter Jr. had 22 points and nine assists for the Rockets, who snapped a five-game losing streak in Chicago on Monday.

Boston led 65-62 midway through the third quarter when Brown got the ball to the left of the basket and Porter came across the top of him with an excessively emphatic shot block that sent the ball flying into Brown’s face. The Celtics All-Star went to the ground, and Porter apologetically came over to check on him.

The play was ruled a flagrant foul; Brown hit both free throws to make it 67-62, scoring 12 points in the next four minutes to help Boston open a double-digit lead.

Mazzulla was elevated to interim coach on the eve of training camp when head coach Ime Udoka was suspended for the full season for inappropriate workplace behavior. Mazzulla handled his interview on the pregame show, but was clearly uncomfortable. The team announced Stoudamire would sub for him about 10 minutes before the opening tipoff.