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Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Trail Blazers: Boston Fueled by Its Defense and Ball Movement
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The Celtics improved to 3-1 on their six-game road trip with a 126-112 victory over the Trail Blazers.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with 34 points. He paired it with a game-high 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
Jaylen Brown registered 27 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Al Horford contributed 12 points, ten assists, and five rebounds. And Marcus Smart manufactured 15 points, six assists, and swiped four steals, leading all participants in the latter.
And while Damian Lillard made the final frame interesting, generating 25 points in the period, Boston's defense helped it build a 21-point advantage, proving too much of a cushion for the visitors to let the lead slip.
Lillard, quiet for most of the night, finished with a game-high 41 points. But the Celtics defended the three-point line well for most of the night. Through three quarters, the hosts shot 24.1 percent from beyond the arc.
And while Boston didn't do a great job taking care of the ball, seeing 18 turnovers converted to 19 points for the Trail Blazers, they induced 19 giveaways, translating to 28 points for the visitors.
And when the Celtics weren't turning the ball over, their ball movement was excellent. Assists don't always tell an accurate story of how effectively a team facilitated, but it did for Boston on Friday. The visitors assisted on 29/41 field goals, consistently creating quality, in-rhythm opportunities.
A 14-4 advantage in second-chance points was also a difference-maker in the Celtics' win.
Now, a deep dive into what stood out in each quarter of Boston's second-straight victory.
Celtics Sharp at both Ends in the First Frame
The Celtics' offensive process in the first quarter was excellent. They played up-tempo, kept the ball moving quickly, and attacked the rim. The latter allowed them to play inside-out basketball.
Boston's approach and execution led to the Trail Blazers trying a zone defense, only to see the visitors' station Tatum at the free-throw line and proceed to carve it up, culminating in Tatum popping out to the left wing and knocking down an open three.
When they played the right way, they created clean, in-rhythm looks behind the arc and produced points in the paint. But they finished with eight of the latter.
Their process was sound, but with 15/23 field goal attempts from long range and the visitors shooting 4/15 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc, they went 39.1 percent from the field.
And while Portland shot well from the field (45 percent), the Celtics defended well and helped induce five turnovers in the first 12 minutes. That led to a 9-2 edge in points off giveaways. Boston also limited the Trail Blazers to one offensive rebound and no second-chance points.
And with the Celtics consistently getting stops on defense, their transition attack led to going 10/12 at the free-throw line in the first frame. Trips to the stripe accounted for most of the scoring in the 12-3 run they staged that helped them take a 32-24 advantage into the second quarter.
Boston also got a boost off the bench from Blake Griffin, who continues helping his team win on the margins. The prime example was his grabbing six rebounds, including three at the offensive end. He earned a plus-minus rating of plus-five in a shift that lasted 7:41.
Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 15 points after 12 minutes. Al Horford registered eight, and Jaylen Brown had four. Damian Lillard led Portland with six.
Defense and Effective Ball Movement Propels Celtics in the Second Quarter
Turnovers were a problem for the Celtics in the second frame. They committed eight, fueling nine Portland points.
But their ball movement was outstanding when they weren't giving the rock away. Boston assisted on 9/13 field goals in the second quarter and 16/22 in the first half. Marcus Smart, Brown, and Horford dished out four assists in the first 24 minutes.
There was a sequence near the end of the half where they committed three-straight turnovers, resulting in the Trail Blazers reducing a 16-point advantage to 12, 60-48, with a minute left in the first half.
But after Tatum whipped a pass to Luke Kornet, open at the rim, who got fouled by Lillard, running over to contest his dunk in vain, Kornet's old-school three-point play gave the visitors a 63-48 edge at the break.
The other key to the Celtics' second-period success was their defense. They outscored Portland 31-24 in the frame, holding the hosts to 39.1 percent shooting from the field, including 1/10 from beyond the arc.
Tatum led all scorers with 19 points at halftime. Brown had 11, and Horford and Smart each had eight. Kornet contributed nine off the bench. Lillard led the Trail Blazers with ten.
Celtics Try to Put the Game Away Early in the Third Frame
With the Celtics on the first night of a back-to-back, Joe Mazzulla wanted to build as large of a lead as possible entering the final frame, hoping to again rest players in the fourth quarter against Portland.
Tatum played the entire period. Smart logged 9:20, and Horford and White were in for 8:49.
Boston's ball movement and lockdown perimeter defense helped the visitors build a 19-point lead.
But a failed alley-oop attempt from White to Griffin and a Tatum missed three helped the Trail Blazers narrow the gap to 12, 80-68.
Just as Kornet and Griffin provided key contributions off the bench in the first half, Sam Hauser did so in the third quarter.
His effort on the offensive glass, extending a second-straight possession and nearly getting to two-consecutive misses, but being beaten to it by Tatum, produced an uncontested dunk for Griffin, pushing the lead to 84-68.
Shortly after, the Celtics swung the ball around the perimeter, creating an open three that Hauser drilled, extending the advantage to 87-68.
Boston entered the final frame leading 89-70.
Celtics Survive Damian Lillard's Fourth-Quarter Rally
The story of the fourth quarter was whether Tatum would have to come back in. As the lead hovered around 15, Mazzulla subbed in White and Horford. The latter had only played 19 minutes entering the final 12 and will presumably sit out Saturday's game against the Jazz.
With the Trail Blazers not going away -- mainly thanks to Lillard -- Tatum rejoined the fold, returning at the 6:55 mark with Boston ahead 103-87.
And while an old-school three-point play by the four-time All-Star helped the visitors pad their lead, Lillard staged a 13-4 run, scoring all of those Portland points. By doing so, he pulled the hosts within ten, 110-100, with 3:52 left.
The Celtics were outscored 30-21 at that juncture of the fourth quarter. They were shooting 53.8 percent from the field, including 3/8 (37.5 percent) from three. And they had only committed two turnovers and hadn't given up an offensive rebound. The issue was fouling too much; the Trail Blazers were 7/11 on free throws.
Lillard erupting for 17 points in the period is one thing. There were instances Boston could have defended him better, but a lot of it was a superstar living up to that billing. The compounding damage from the foul line is what made closing out the game harder than it needed to be.
But Smart going cobra, diving out to steal the ball from Lillard, leading to a Brown transition dunk, and another stop translating to a Horford three put Portland to bed. Those five points gave the visitors a 118-105 edge with 1:33 remaining. They went on to win 126-112.
Up Next
The Celtics head to Salt Lake City, Utah, to face the Jazz Saturday night. The matchup tips off at 9 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
Jayson Tatum Made the Face of New Gatorade Ad Campaign
Jayson Tatum Discusses His Hard Fall in Third Quarter of Celtics' Win vs. Timberwolves
Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Win vs. Timberwolves: Boston's Defense Keys Bounce-Back Victory
Celtics Convey What They're Focused on Improving as the Playoffs Approach
