BOSTON (AP) 鈥� The Houston Rockets have been one of the NBA鈥檚 more surprising teams this season. After their past three games, they shouldn鈥檛 shock anyone.
The Rockets twice last week before traveling to Boston and pulling out on Monday night.
鈥淲e鈥檙e over halfway through now and our record is what it is, so it鈥檚 not just a fluke or anything,鈥� Houston coach Ime Udoka said. 鈥淧eople watch film and see the physicality and the way that we play, it鈥檚 a little different than the rest of the league, maybe that catches people off guard initially, but I wouldn鈥檛 say we鈥檙e sneaking up on anybody anymore at this point in the season.鈥�
Houston (31-14), which is second in the Western Conference, posted its ninth win in 11 games on Monday. Its record is a few percentage points better than that of the defending NBA champion Celtics (32-15).
The Cavs and Celtics were a combined 104-28 (.788) entering their games against Houston. The Rockets became the first team in NBA history to win three straight games against teams with that high of a winning percentage, with a minimum of 40 games for each opponent, .
Amen Thompson hit a floater over Jaylen Brown with 0.7 seconds left to give the Rockets the victory at Boston.
鈥淲e feel like we can beat anybody, and this road trip is really proving that,鈥� Thompson said.
Led by a balanced lineup featuring Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, veteran Fred VanVleet, Thompson and Dillon Brooks, the Rockets have been rolling since their .
鈥淲e don鈥檛 like to lose at home, especially to the Celtics,鈥� Thompson said. 鈥淲e just come in here every day and we just try to win.鈥�
Teams around the league are taking notice of what Houston is doing. After on Monday, they spent time in the postgame locker room watching the Rockets鈥� victory.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just playing hard, playing together,鈥� said Brooks, who finished with a 36 points against Boston, including a 10-of-15 performance from 3-point range.
鈥淲e have trust in one another,鈥� Brooks said.
The Rockets are plenty confident, but they understand big wins mean nothing if they can't follow them up. They鈥檒l get that chance Tuesday night when they play at Atlanta.
鈥淧laying some of the top teams obviously gives us some confidence,鈥� Udoka said.
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AP freelancer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.
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AP NBA:
Ken Powtak, The Associated Press
