The Celtics were able to build an 18-point first half lead on Wednesday against the Trail Blazers. This time, they didn’t let it slip away, winning 115-93 to snap their three-game losing streak.
Led by Al Horford, Boston came out firing in the opening quarter. Horford finished with a team-high 10 points in the first on 4 of 5 (80%) shooting from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from deep. Horford also added a team-high three rebounds and two assists.
Boston as a team shot 11 of 19 (57.9%) from the field and 6 of 10 (60%) from 3-point range in the first quarter, while also racking up eight assists, which aided Boston to a seven-point lead after the first quarter.
Boston cooled off in the second quarter, though, as they shot just 10-for-26 (38.5%) from the field and a putrid 3-for-17 (17.6%) from three — including a stretch where they missed 12 consecutive 3-point attempts. When the offense went cold, it was the Celtics’ defense that stepped up, taking advantage of Portland’s shooting struggles. Behind shooting 4-for-17 (23.5%) from the field, and 0-for-9 from three, Portland totalled just 17 points in the second quarter. It was just the 19th time this season that the Trail Blazers failed to reach 20 points in a quarter.
Boston capitalized on the Trail Blazers’ struggles, jumping out to a 15-point halftime lead. The Celtics were able to bury Portland in the third quarter behind 14 points from a well-rested Jayson Tatum, who finished with 30 on the night. It marked the 36th time this season Tatum finished with at least 30 points, and he did it scoring the ball in a variety of different ways.
Tatum finished the night shooting 6-for-10 (60%) from three, while also shooting 5-for-7 (71.4%) inside the arc. Tatum did a nice job getting to the cup and finished with a handful of smooth finishes.
Here are three takeaways from Boston’s 115-93 win over the Trail Blazers:
Defense steps up
Though Portland has not been a great team this year, they do have a good offense. The Trail Blazers entered Wednesday night with the seventh-best offensive rating in the NBA. Boston was able to hold Portland to just 93 points on the night. It was just the eighth time this season that the Trail Blazers were held under 100 points, and it marked the 12th time this season the Celtics held their opponent under 100 points, with Boston holding a 10-2 record in those games. The Celtics also forced 15 turnovers on the night, marking the third consecutive game they forced at least 15 turnovers.
Sure, the Celtics were able to take advantage of Portland’s poor shooting performance, but the Celtics were also able to clean up a few things that have been holding them back over the course of their three-game skid.
Specifically, defensive rebounds and transition defense. Over their last three losses, the Celtics had allowed 39 offensive rebounds. In Monday night’s overtime loss to the Cavaliers, the Celtics allowed 10 offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter and overtime alone.
On Wednesday night, the Celtics were able to hold Portland to just six offensive rebounds, which is a very welcoming sign, especially given the Celtics played a lot of small ball.
“We can’t control what Portland does,” Joe Mazzulla said on the matter after the game. “What we can control is how we respond to the things we need to get better at.”
Sharing the ball
When asked pregame about what sticks out to him about how the Celtics’ offense has improved this season, Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups said, “Ball movement. When they’re playing well, I think their ball movement is at a high level.”
Billups is spot on with this, and it was on display in Wednesday night’s win. Led by Derrick White, who finished with a team-high seven assists, Boston totalled 26 assists on 42 made buckets. The Celtics are now 20-5 on the season when they record at least 25 assists. The ball movement also helped generate good looks from both behind the arc and the paint, which Boston took advantage of.
Much needed win ahead of long road trip
This was a game the Celtics needed. Having lost each of their last three games despite holding double-digit leads in each, they needed a bounce back game.
“It is a good win,” Horford said. “I guess you could say it’s a breath of fresh air. It was important before hitting the road.”
As the Celtics get set to head on a six-game road trip that will last almost two weeks, this was an important win for the C’s. Not only did the blowout win provide a chance for Boston to get back on track, it also allowed them to lessen the minutes on some of their stars.
Jayson Tatum was able to take the fourth quarter off Wednesday, while Jaylen Brown logged just 25 minutes on the night, which is tied for his third-fewest in a game this season. Marcus Smart only saw 21 minutes against Portland, which is the second-fewest he has seen in a game this season, and Al Horford only played 24, which is tied for the fourth-fewest he has seen in a game this season.