BOSTON - Donatas Motiejunas wasnt thinking about a new career high when he took an alley-oop from James Harden and hit a layup a

BOSTON - Donatas Motiejunas wasnt thinking about a new career high when he took an alley-oop from James Harden and hit a layup as he fell to the floor late in the fourth quarter. Nolan Ryan Angels Jersey . Preserving a Houston Rockets victory was foremost on his mind.The big man scored 10 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, as the Rockets withstood a strong comeback by the Boston Celtics to win 93-87 on Friday night.I just try and win the game. Thats most important to me, said Motiejunas, who added 12 rebounds to the highest point total of his career. His basket extended the Rockets lead back to five and enabled them to hold on for their fourth straight win.His size, first and foremost, was a problem. You could see that right out of the gate, said Celtics coach Brad Stevens, whose team overcame an 18-point deficit at halftime by holding the Rockets to 4-for-20 shooting in the third quarter.We played hideous offensive basketball for 27 minutes, Rockets head coach Kevin McHale said. We played beautiful basketball for the first 21 minutes of the game and then, for whatever reason, I told the guys we just completely changed how we played.Harden, the NBAs leading scorer, had 14 points on just 4-for-21 shooting.We stopped doing things that were working. I definitely slowed things up, especially in the second half, he said. Ill take the blame for it.Terrance Smith had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who have won three in a row while star Dwight Howard recuperates from swelling in his right knee. Corey Brewer added 10 for Houston.Marcus Thornton and Brandon Bass each had 17 for the Celtics. Bass two free throws before the alley oop capped a 6-0 Celtics run and cut the lead to 82-79.Tayshaun Prince had 13 points and Avery Bradley added 10.TIP-INSRockets: The team has not put a timetable on Howards return. We wont have Dwight for a while, Im sure, so were going to just go out there and play, McHale said. ... The game was played 21 years to the day the Celtics retired McHales number. On his return to snowy Boston: The streets get smaller, baby, Ill tell you that. ... Harden had a four-point play in the first quarter, knocking down a 3-pointer over Marcus Smart and hitting the subsequent foul shot. The Rockets 17-7 road record tops the Western Conference.Celtics: Fell to 4-20 against teams .500 or better ... Smart has improved his 3-point shooting each month. He shot the 3 at a 43 per cent clip in January.FOOTBALL SUNDAY - BASKETBALL TODAYChants of Drew came from the crowd when former Patriots All-Pro quarterback Drew Bledsoe was shown on the scoreboard. Bledsoe famously lost his starting job to Tom Brady after suffering an injury during the 2001 season. Brady has been the starter ever since.NOTHING TO PROVEThe Rockets Josh Smith has Saturdays game against the Pistons on his calendar. The Pistons waived the veteran on Dec. 22. I dont have anything to prove. I think Ive proven everything on the body of work on being in the league. I just want to get a win, he said.TOUGH DBrad Stevens credited his team with playing tough defence on Harden. Harden said Smart defensively is pretty good. He made a lot of good plays.UP NEXTRockets: At Detroit on Saturday.Celtics: Host Miami on Sunday. Mike Trout Angels Jersey . It was considered unlikely that Rielly would be loaned to Canada for the tournament, which begins Dec. 26 in Malmo, Sweden, though a stretch of three straight games in the press box made it something of a debate. Justin Bour Angels Jersey . -- Louisville backup quarterback Reggie Bonnafon ran for two touchdowns and passed for another and the No. http://www.baseballangelslockroom.com/brian-goodwin-angels-jersey/ . The shortstop still grieves, but it will be nights like the one Segura had in a 5-2 victory Monday over the Cincinnati Reds that will provide some distraction.KANSAS CITY – Marcus Stromans major league debut may come sooner rather than later. But it will not be on the current road trip. Encouraged by Dustin McGowans start on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium, manager John Gibbons will hand him the ball again on Sunday in Pittsburgh and go with left-hander J.A. Happ on Monday in Philadelphia. "Well see where that takes us," said Gibbons. McGowan pitched into the seventh inning on Tuesday for just the second time this season. His spot in the rotation is vulnerable, with Gibbons on repeated occasions saying how much he values McGowan out of the bullpen. Happ, entering Thursdays series finale with the Royals, hadnt pitched in more than a week, a 2 2/3 inning performance against the Baltimore Orioles on April 23. He entered spring training with a spot in the rotation but posted a 20.57 ERA in four Grapefruit League appearances and missed time with inflammation in his back. His performance forced the Blue Jays to seek alternatives. Stroman, who turned 23 on Thursday, is coming off a 10-strikeout, one-walk, no-hit performance over six innings for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons on Tuesday night. Along with Aaron Sanchez, he is considered a top pitching prospect and some in the organization believe he is major league-ready. GOSE RETURNS When the Blue Jays acquired Anthony Gose from the Astros on July 29, 2010, he was a hot prospect less than two weeks shy of his 20th birthday. Now, almost four years later, Gose is up for a second time this season and has been on the option train for a couple of seasons. Hes up when the Blue Jays need him and back in Buffalo when they dont. "Hes got to play and be productive," said Gibbons. "Its like anybody else. When it comes down to the big leagues its about production. Theres no secrets; you can hope guys are going to do something but eventually its all about production. Thats why its so hard to make it in the big leagues and stay for any length of time. Thats why guys come and go, bounce up and down. Big part of it is opportunity but when you get it youve got to take advantage of it." In 19 games with the Bisons, Gose is hitting .235/.350/.309. Hes walking at a higher clip than usual with 12 free passes in 81 plate appearances (14.8 per cent). "I think it was too cold for me to swing," Gose joked. "I wasnt trying to do anything different. I wasnt working on anything. I just walked a little bit more earlier on. Fred Lynn Angels Jersey. " He admits its difficult to get into a groove early in the International League season because of the weather. Games are often rained out; sometimes games are snowed out. "I think this year was much colder and a lot longer than last year, especially in other cities also," said Gose. "I dont know if its going to warm up. Its been freezing. I got here and its freezing too. Everywhere Im playing baseball its cold." ROSTER MOVES To accommodate the recall of Gose, the Blue Jays optioned infielder Jonathan Diaz to Triple-A Buffalo. Toronto also purchased the contract of infielder/outfielder Steve Tolleson. To make room for Tolleson on the 40-man roster, outfielder Moises Sierra was designated for assignment. The moves give the Blue Jays additional depth in the absence of Melky Cabrera, who was hit by a pitch on his left shin in Wednesday nights game and is listed as day-to-day. HIGH PRAISE FOR BAUTISTA Pointing out that Jose Bautista is good at baseball is a waste of everyones time. Nobodys splitting the atom with such an observation. Through the first month of the season, Bautista is baseballs leader in on-base percentage (.465) and on-base plus slugging percentage (1.065). His eight home runs prorate to a total of 48 over a 162-game schedule. Defensively, Bautista has one outfield assist and has come close on a couple of other occasions. His arm is feared by opposition baserunners. What arent so obvious to the viewing public are Bautistas contributions to game preparation. "Hes helped me out more than you can imagine, more than I ever imagined (he would)," said first-year outfield coach Tim Leiper. "When Im out there its like having another coach out there because number one, hes been in the league, hes seen everybody, he has great recall and he knows the game situations." When Bautista shifts to centerfield, which has happened in four games so far this season, Leiper jokes that his work day ends. Bautista takes charge and knows where he wants himself and his corner outfielders to be on each pitch. "From day one in spring training every fungo, every drill, 100-percent fundamentally correct every single time," said Leiper. "You watch him in the game, hes into every pitch, he doesnt take pitches off. Theres a reason why hes good at everything he does. Hes intelligent and hes into it. Hes as professional a guy as Ive ever been around." ' ' '