The Boston Celtics have done it again. Despite taking control in the first three quarters, it’s always the final frame where things fall apart. This time, against the Rockets it was no different. They entered the fourth quarter with a four-point lead but by the final buzzer, they found themselves two points behind. This has been the same heartbreaking story all season long. So, what exactly is going wrong? After last night’s disappointing 114-112 loss, the microphone was turned to Jayson Tatum for an explanation.

“Each night is different,” Tatum told the media during the press conference. Breaking down the game, the Celtics star said, “I think tonight we got some good shots. I think we kept going with the middle pick and roll, they were blitzing and doubling every time, so hit the guy in the seams or kick it to the two side.”

The Celtics were certainly stable and hit some good shots, but they couldn’t replicate it in the end, which gave Houston the advantage. “You know, just some shots that we was hitting maybe early in the game that we just didn’t hit late,” Tatum admitted. “So I think tonight we got some good shots, we was getting a four on three behind, you know, like we would want, we just didn’t convert late in the game.”

With just four seconds remaining, the two teams were locked in a head-to-head battle. The final nail in the coffin came with less than two seconds left when Amen Thompson sank a floating jump shot, adding 33 points to his tally and ultimately sealing the game. The Celtics did get one last shot from deep before the buzzer, but Payton Pritchard’s attempt missed. And with that, it was game over for the Greens.

Even with the shift in his role, Jaylen Brown was the one to lead the Celtics in scoring with 28 points, while Jayson Tatum chipped in with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. However, their efforts fell short against Dillon Brooks’ game-high 36-point performance.

“I mean we competed, played hard, we hit some shots, but you got to tip your hat off to him,” Tatum highlighted. “I mean, Dillon Brooks hit 10 threes and now he set a franchise record. We didn’t expect that for sure.”

Besides Brooks’ heroic action, there was one more factor adding to the Celtics’ loss that was pointed out by Jaylen Brown.

Jaylen Brown points to last minute injury as major factor in Boston’s loss

The Celtics were set to welcome the Rockets to TD Garden with their full roster intact. However, in the final moments, they took the final call to drop Al Horford from the lineup, forcing them to make last-minute adjustments. Brown mentioned it during the postgame presser, “We didn’t know before. We didn’t know until the game kinda was getting ready to start.”

The veteran was dealing with a sprain in the big toe of his left foot, which kept him from taking the court. But in his absence, the others stepped up and Brown took a moment to commend their efforts. “Give credit to the guys… guys came in and played well. Luke (Kornet) had a good game offensively, Neemi (Queta) came in, you know, Jaylen gave us a little bit of spurt. So we had guys to step up to the plate and just, you know, the rhythm of things.”

However, everything just boiled down to one thing, “We just didn’t convert in the fourth quarter,” Brown highlighted. “But we got some good looks, and that last possession, we were a little disorganized, and that’s what happened.”

Both leaders, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are aware of the team’s shortcomings and are working to address them. However, the Celtics haven’t been as formidable as they were last season. But there’s still time to work things out before it’s too late.