Jayson Tatum and Marcus Sensible each snapped out of their funks on the proper time for the Boston Celtics to cook dinner the Path Blazers 126-112. Now 3-1 on this six-game street journey, the Celtics acquired 34 factors, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and three steals (and 18 FTAs) from Jayson Tatum. Damian Lillard erupted within the fourth to place in Portland with 41 factors and 5 assists.
The Celtics have gotten up and down contributions from two starters – Marcus Sensible and Jayson Tatum – for the reason that staff returned from the All-Star break. Sensible, specifically, was in the course of the worst stretch of his profession as the place to begin guard for the Celtics. Tonight, he regarded like the overall of the league’s greatest offense ever from again in November regardless of a number of turnovers. Sensible posted 15 factors, 6 assists and 4 steals.
Whereas Tatum hasn’t been as dangerous as Sensible, he hasn’t been his typical self. He set a private document tonight, taking pictures 9 freethrows within the first quarter for the primary time in his profession. Tatum and Sensible have been supported by a robust massive rotation tonight. Grant Williams got here in and hit photographs, Blake Griffin earned some Tommy Factors (plural) with nice offensive rebounding and passing, and Luke Kornet had among the finest video games of his profession (he dunked on Lillard).
Kornet had 11 factors and 5 rebounds.
Jaylen Brown’s been on fireplace currently, and regardless of a gradual begin, he nonetheless completed with 27 factors, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Al Horford was additionally glorious in restricted minutes, popping out sizzling as properly. He’s on an unbelievable heater taking pictures from 3 this month. Horford completed with 12 factors, 10 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 dagger.
The Portland Path Blazers performed with out Jerami Grant, which positively harm them on each ends. It wasn’t unusual for Dame Lillard to do all he might to create wide-open photographs for his teammates only for them to brick it. Powerful scene. Anfernee Simons completed with 17 factors, and that’s in regards to the extent of the assistance Lillard obtained.
The Celtics did get cute towards the top of the third quarter, permitting Damian Lillard to let his staff pull it shut. One factor that the Celtics did properly all night time that helped lower Portland’s possibilities was completely crush it within the rebounding division. The Cs out-rebounded the Blazers by 13. Blake Griffin alone hauled in 9 of them.
A sequence of second-chance factors took the Celtics main by 12 to the Celtics main by 21 in a rush.
Coming into the fourth with a 19-point lead, the Celtics didn’t choke this one away and rode into the sundown. Sadly, a late-game flurry from Lillard (23 factors in 6.5 minutes) prevented the Celtics regulars from calling it quits early as a result of the specter of Dame Time is sort of giant. Portland minimize it to as little as 8, however a Sensible steal to a Jaylen dunk into an Al Horford dagger put the Blazers to mattress. The Cs are 1.5 video games again of the primary seed with the second night time of a back-to-back coming tomorrow night time in opposition to the Utah Jazz.
The Celtics additionally play the Bucks on the finish of the month, so the primary seed is formally again on the desk after Boston fell behind by 3.0 video games at one level (thanks, Indiana). If the Celtics play the remainder of their 11 video games like they’re taking part in the Blazers, they’ll be trending up going into the playoffs.
