Key Moment
Yet again, Joe Mazzulla rode his bench for the entirety of the fourth quarter. Yet again, the reserves delivered.
Two days after Boston’s bench fended off comeback bid by the Sacramento Kings, the group maintained a comfortable lead over Portland before finishing off a 124-107 win.
The bench crew sent Portland packing with a 12-2 run over a span of 2:55 of the fourth quarter that gave Boston a 112-94 lead with 4:16 left, which marked its largest of the game to that point. This run was all about balance – and, fittingly for the C’s, a little bit of luck.
Four different Celtics scored during the spurt, led by five points from Sam Hauser. Oshae Brissett and Payton Pritchard also put home layups, before Xavier Tillman Sr. drained a 3-pointer that capped the run and forced Portland to call a timeout.
That shot from Tillman Sr. was the one that featured a bit of luck. He typically attempts his 3s exclusively from the corners, but he fired this one up from the right wing. It wasn’t on target, but it wound up banking off the backboard and through the rim for three points.
Tillman Sr. could do nothing but smile as he jogged back down the court. Portland quickly called for its timeout, but the damage had been done, and the C’s were all smiles the rest of the way.
The reserves polished off another victory to give the Celtics their fifth straight win, which doubled as their league-leading 62nd of the season.
Key Player
Payton Pritchard continues to ball out as he receives major minutes during the stretch run of the regular season.
He finished Sunday’s matchup against Portland with 20 points on only 13 shots. He made nine of those attempts, including four midrange jumpers and two 3-pointers. Pritchard’s scoring total trailed only Jaylen Brown’s 26 points on the team.
The speedy point guard also added in eight assists compared to only two turnovers. This is the second instance in his last three games during which he has recorded at least eight assists, and the fifth time overall since March 17.
Boston outscored Portland by 19 points during his nearly 26 minutes of action. Pritchard rounded out his box score with three rebounds and one steal.
Box Score Nuggets
- Six Celtics scored at least 10 points, led by 26 from Jaylen Brown and 20 from Payton Pritchard.
- Pritchard also dished out eight assists.
- Derrick White tied former Celtic Dalano Banton for the game high in assists with nine.
- Banton also led the game with 28 points off the bench for Portland.
- The Trail Blazers grabbed 22 offensive rebounds but turned them into only 21 second-chance points.
- Boston held Portland to 107 points on 102 shots.
- The C's shot 56.3 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from distance, all while limiting Portland to 38.2 percent shooting from the field and 36.8 percent from 3-point range.
- Both teams attempted 13 shots. Portland was a perfect 13-for-13, while Boston shot 10-for-13.
- Kristaps Porzingis logged a double-double with 12 points and a team-best 10 rebounds. He also led the game with three steals.
- Six players in the game made three 3-pointers (four from Portland and two from Boston).
Quote of the Night
"It means a lot of hard work. It's been a great journey, and we're still looking forward to what's next - hopefully another 10,000 in me."
– Jaylen Brown on reaching 10,000 career points