Celtics ride second-half surge to stop Trail Blazers, 118-106
By Tristan Deschenes, 98.5 The Sports Hub
Jayson Tatum dominated yet again on Tuesday night, dropping 36 points and leading the Celtics to a 118-106 win over the Trail Blazers in Portland.
In what has started to become routine, Tatum had a monster night. He has now scored 30-plus points in three of his last four games. Jaylen Brown also played well, scoring 24 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Gordon Hayward was an efficient 5-of-7 for 12 points.
The Celtics used the three-point shot to come away with the win. Boston caught fire from beyond the arc, shooting 48.7 percent from downtown as a team. Tatum was a big part of the Celtics’ three-point success, knocking down a career-high eight triples on the night.
0️⃣is on 🔥 pic.twitter.com/P4Ne8FIGVb
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 26, 2020
Boston led by only eight at the half, but used strong third and fourth quarters to pull away. The Celtics got their lead up to 17 after Hayward stepped into a three with 2:10 left in the third to extend their lead to 81-64.
The C’s maintained that dominance throughout the first half of the fourth quarter, running their lead up to a game-high 19 points after Tatum stared into Hassan Whiteside’s soul and knocked a deep three.
Boston did let the Blazers back into it when the bench came in, and Portland got the lead down to 11 in the fourth. Brad Stevens was forced to deploy his weapon of mass destruction, and Tatum put the game away with a step-back three with 2:58 to go. He again wasn’t afraid to attack the rim, either.
There's no doubt that @jaytatum0 deserves tonight's @JetBlue Play of the Game https://t.co/tebkb2mk4O
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 26, 2020
C.J. McCollum led the way for Portland with 28 points and 10 assists. Whiteside had a good night as well, scoring 18 points and grabbing 19 rebounds.
Both teams were without their star point guards, as Kemba Walker missed his third straight game with knee soreness and Damian Lillard was out with a groin injury.
Up Next: Boston will finish their four game road trip against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.