Tuesday night, the Boston Celtics and Portland Trailblazers met at the Moda Center. Boston has been hot in the month of April, posting a 5-1 record this month. Portland has struggled this month, winning just 2 of their 6 games.
Boston is coming off a 105-87 victory over the Denver Nuggets. In that game, Jayson Tatum led the way, scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Portland fell short to the Miami Heat 98-107 in their last outing. Both CJ McCollum and Norman Powell scored 17 points in the Portland loss.
First Half
The first half went back and forth between the two teams. Damian Lillard came out of the gates hot, scoring 9 first-quarter points for Portland. Kemba Walker refused to be outdone, scoring 12 in the first quarter for Boston. Lillard had a bit more help as his team shot 56.5% from the field in the first quarter. The hot shooting from Portland gave them a 38-30 lead at the end of the quarter.
Boston refused to let Portland run away with this one after they created an early 8-point lead. Boston was able to force turnovers and use their rebound advantage to cut into the Portland lead in the second quarter. Both Portland and Boston were great from deep in the first, Boston hitting 8 long balls and Portland making 9 from deep. Portland held a 60-57 lead going into the break.
Norman Powell stepped up in the first half scoring 15 points for Portland. Lillard scored 11 points, grabbed 2 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists in the first half. Carmelo Anthony added 12 points off the bench.
Kemba Walker was the man in the first half for Boston. Walker scored 14 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and record 5 assists. He also committed 6 turnovers. Jaylen Brown scored 13 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
Second Half
The third quarter belonged to Jayson Tatum. The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week scored 17 points in the quarter. Tatum’s huge quarter helped Boston take control of the game. Going into the 4th, Boston led by a score of 92-87.
Just like the rest of the game, the 4th quarter was tightly contested with both teams trading baskets. While Boston held the lead for much of the last quarter Portland refused to go away. Lillard got into the zone, scoring 11 points in the final quarter. Jayson Tatum hit a dagger 3 with 7.8 seconds to play. Boston held on to win 116-115, extending their winning streak to four.
Tatum continued his hot play finishing with 32 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jaylen Brown added 24 points. Kemba Walker scored 21 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, and dished out 7 assists. Boston improves to 29-26 with the win. Boston will look to continue their winning ways when they face their rival Los Angeles Lakers on April 15th.
Big games from Lillard and Carmelo Anthony were not enough for Portland. Lillard finished with 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 10 assists. Anthony added 25 points off the bench for Portland. With the loss, Portland is now 31-23 for the season. Portland will look to bounce back, April 16th, against the San Antonio Spurs.
