BOSTON -- The chants of "M-V-P" are becoming a regular event during Boston Celtics games at TD Garden.

However, the crowd chant Wednesday night came with Isaiah Thomas outplaying one of the other MVP candidates.

Boston's little big man put on another fourth-quarter show, outplaying Houston's James Harden and leading the Celtics to a 120-109 victory over the Rockets. The Celtics ended a three-game losing streak and produced their first win over an NBA Elite this season.

And when it was over, Thomas, asked if the chants meant more coming with Harden on the floor, said, "No. It always means a lot with the best fans in the world. It doesn't matter who is in the building.

"The fans are great, and they treat me really good."

Thomas scored 11 consecutive Boston points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics (27-18) came back from 11 points down in the first half and scored 68 points in the second half.

Thomas said it felt like a big game, a playoff atmosphere, adding, "It was a game we needed. It was a must-win for us, and we played like it.

"We got to be a little more consistent in playing that way and we'll be all right."

Harden scored 30 points, but he struggled all night, even with the Celtics missing Avery Bradley to guard him. Jae Crowder was the main defender, but every time Harden looked up, there was another Celtic in his face, switching on screens.

"I got a couple good looks," said Harden, who shot just 6 of 18 from the floor and needed to make the last three just to get to 33.3 percent. "The major part about it, we didn't get stops defensively.

"They created a lot of mismatches. Isaiah made big plays -- whether it was scoring or making the right pass. Every time we messed up defensively, they made us pay for it. Credit to them. They made shots."

And they rebounded. The Celtics, not known for their board work, ran up a 48-30 margin on the glass, improving to 13-1 in games where they have either topped or equaled the opposition.

Harden was 16 of 19 from the foul line, making him 34 of 37 in two games against Boston this season.

The game turned on a bizarre play that saw Harden get fouled by Crowder on a drive after getting out of a double team. As the whistle blew, Harden threw his left hand out and caught Jonas Jerebko behind him, knocking the Celtic down and cutting him. Jerebko needed four stitches on his upper lip.

Harden was called for a flagrant-1 foul. He made his free throws to tie the game, and Thomas went down to the other end and hit two free throws, triggering a 13-2 run that put the game away.

Thomas, notching his 29th straight 20-point game, added nine assists and five rebounds in the win. He leads the league in fourth-quarter scoring, hitting 10 a game before his 13 Wednesday.

Harden had 12 assists and six rebounds but turned the ball over seven times. He was 2 of 11 from 3-point range.

Crowder logged 23 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, and Al Horford scored 20 and added nine assists in the win.

Horford was limping at the end of the game, and he told Celtics radio, "We'll see what it is. I think it's the groin. It was a very weird feeling."

The Rockets (34-15) absorbed their sixth loss in nine games. They now have only their second two-game losing streak of the season.

Ryan Anderson scored 19 points and Sam Dekker came off the bench to contribute 15 for Houston.

"We scored enough. We just didn't stop them enough," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said.

The Rockets led by as many as 11 in a first half that saw the Celtics guilty of 19 personal and three technical fouls, one of them to the normally mild-mannered Stevens.

Houston sixth man Eric Gordon, averaging 17.4 points per game, missed the game, D'Antoni saying, "He just went out to shoot and felt good. Then during the shooting, something just caught him and he was a late scratch."

NOTES: Celtics G Marcus Smart apologized for arguing with assistant coaches over wanting to go back into Tuesday night's game. Asked about punching a hole in a wall in Washington, he said, "If it's a hole in the wall, I guess I put it there.".... Boston G Gerald Green, who missed the Tuesday loss at Washington because of illness, was back and scored seven points in 16:14 on Wednesday. ... Celtics G Avery Bradley (Achilles) remained out, and coach Brad Stevens changed his starting lineup to include Fs Jonas Jerebko and Jaylen Brown as Smart and Amir Johnson did not start. Jerebko had seven points and seven rebounds. ... The Rockets rested F Nene, who is averaging 7.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game off the bench. ... The Rockets continue their four-game road trip on Friday night at Philadelphia. The Celtics host the Orlando Magic the same night.