Rockets 104, Celtics 92: Dwight Howard had 32 points and 11 rebounds as visiting Houston cruised past Boston.

Jeremy Lin had 16 points and nine assists and James Harden also scored 16 points as the Rockets won for the fourth time in five games. Chandler Parsons added 14 points and Terrence Jones contributed 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Avery Bradley scored 24 points but couldn’t prevent the Celtics from losing their ninth consecutive contest and falling to 3-14 against Western Conference foes. Jerryd Bayless scored 15 of his 17 points in the final quarter while Brandon Bass added 14 points and Jordan Crawford tallied 13 for Boston, which shot just 37.6 percent from the field.

Houston led by 16 points midway through the fourth quarter before Bayless scored Boston’s next 13 points to move the Celtics to within 97-90 with 2:47 to play. Howard made 3-of-6 free throws in a 29-second span to boost the lead to 10 and the Rockets later sealed it on layups by Lin and Jones.

The Rockets trailed by eight after the opening quarter and used a 33-point second stanza to take a 52-43 lead into the break. Houston increased the lead to 75-55 on Lin’s 3-pointer with 4:28 left in the third and the Rockets took a 19-point lead into the final quarter.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The Celtics had 101 field-goal attempts, the first time they have hoisted 100 or more shots since taking an even 100 against the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 27, 1998. … Parsons also had seven rebounds and four assists in his return from a three-game absence due to knee and hamstring ailments. … Boston held a 50-46 rebounding advantage but Houston had a 58-36 edge in points in the paint.