Carsen Edwards (19 points) leads short-handed Celtics in 137-112 loss against Rockets

Most Celtics fans can tell you the first night they went crazy over Carsen Edwards.

It was during a game that was just as meaningful as the one we watched Tuesday night from Orlando. On October 15, we saw Edwards connect on eight 3-pointers against the Cavaliers -- it was a promising display of shooting that got everyone to thinking that Edwards could turn out to be the steal of the draft.

The following five months proved he wasn't that guy. In fact, Edwards has spent all year long fighting for playing time until Tuesday's showdown against the Rockets opened up another opportunity. He got the nod from Brad Stevens to start at point guard, nine months removed from his record-breaking shooting night in Cleveland. 

After the Celtics head coach elected to sit his entire starting lineup along with Marcus Smart and Enes Kanter, third-string players such as Romeo Langford, Grant Williams, and, of course, Edwards were on full display. Edwards once again brought Celtics fans to their feet but it wasn't because of his outside touch. This time, it was because Edwards caught James Harden in front of the hoop in transition and the rookie made him pay.

Here's a slo-mo view of Carsen Edwards' dunk: pic.twitter.com/4Mxw9fe1Ic

— Chris Grenham (@chrisgrenham) July 29, 2020

Edwards' dunk over Harden (with Russell Westbrook watching close by) brought his teammates to their feet and triggered a stare towards the former league MVP's direction from Edwards while he put the finishing touches on his team-high 19-point performance, including a trio of 3-pointers, five rebounds, and four assists. Williams, who added 15 points, 9 rebounds played particularly well as a defensive anchor off the bench and Javonte Green finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds, he also drained three 3-pointers. 

After jumping out to a 10-0 lead, the Celtics spent most of the night playing catch-up with the Rockets. Harden, who played just under 30 minutes, had enough time to score 35 points to go with his 8 rebounds and 6 assists while Westbrook added 19 points, 8 assists and Robert Covington netted 16.

The Rockets loss concludes the Celtics' three-game scrimmage schedule. They'll now spend the rest of the week preparing for the first of eight seeding games that will kick off Friday night against the Bucks. 

Josue Pavón
Follow @Joe_Sway

Photo used is courtesy of the Associated Press