Rockets 109, Celtics 85: Terrence Jones scored a career-high 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting and added nine rebounds as Houston crushed visiting Boston.

Patrick Beverley added 16 points and James Harden had 15 as the Rockets put six players in double figures. Dwight Howard collected 10 points and 11 rebounds for Houston, which shot 56.9 percent en route to its third straight win.

Former Rocket Courtney Lee scored 17 points off the bench to lead the Celtics, who have dropped four in a row. Avery Bradley was the only starter to reach double figures with 11 points on 5-of-22 shooting.

Houston took all the drama out of the contest in the opening five minutes, starting the game with an 18-1 burst behind six points from Jones and five from Beverley. The Rockets went 16-of-20 from the field in the first quarter - led by Jones’ 5-of-5 - and held a 40-18 lead after the opening 12 minutes.

Houston cooled slightly in the second, going 10-for-16, but coasted into the break with a 68-44 advantage. The Rockets used a 12-2 run early in the third quarter - highlighted by Harden’s pass between the legs of Boston’s Brandon Bass to Jones for a layup - to stretch the lead to 82-49 and were never threatened.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Rockets C Omer Asik, who had missed the last two games while away from the team after seeking a trade, got into the contest with just over seven minutes left and picked up four points and four rebounds. … Houston’s 40 first-quarter points were its most in an opening period since putting up 41 on the Miami Heat on Feb. 2, 2008. … Boston F Jeff Green scored four points on 2-of-7 shooting and is 6-for-25 from the field over the last three games.