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4 takeaways as Celtics beat Blazers, ex-Boston champion returns
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- 4 takeaways as Celtics beat Blazers, ex-Boston champion returns
BOSTON — The Celtics beat the Blazers 102-94 on Monday at TD Garden, never letting Portland too close to threaten the result. The C’s improved to 29-17 on the season while the Blazers dropped to 23-24.
It was all C’s early with the Blazers mustering just 11 points in the first quarter. The Boston lead swelled to 23 points in the first half. It was also a solid showing from the Garden crowd, braving through the recent snowstorm that hit the New England area.
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But the Celtics hit a lull in the second quarter. While they still held a 15-point halftime lead, the Blazers started making shots. Portland was also without Deni Avdija , who’s enjoying a breakout season and could be named an All-Star.
Credit to the Blazers, who cut it to a single-digit game late and played hard throughout the night. It forced the C’s, who struggled for parts of the night, to close out the victory. But the Celtics win was never in question, starting their their four-game home stand with a victory.
Payton Pritchard led the Celtics with 23 points and five rebounds. Jaylen Brown added 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Jrue Holiday in his Boston return had 14 points and got some cheers from the Garden crowd during pregame introductions. Jerami Grant added 19 points off the bench for Portland.
The Celtics face the Hawks at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday for their next game. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Portland:
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Tough efficiency:It was a slog of a night Monday on both sides. The Celtics weren’t at their best offensively and endured some struggles, plus they had some ugly turnovers with 17 of them. But the Blazers couldn’t generate enough consistent offense without Avdija, and it showed throughout the night. Portland shot just 41% from the field and 25% on 3-pointers. There were sluggish moments throughout Monday’s game, but the Celtics still came out with the all-important win.
Two-way big gets his chance: Amari Williams got his moment against the Nets last week to close out the double overtime victory, but that was mostly a surprise relief appearance. That wasn’t the case Monday as it was clear the two-way big was going to get minutes. Luka Garza was downgraded to out before the game due to an illness. Williams made the most of his chance, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes. He looked like he belonged on the court and wasn’t overwhelmed. Starter Neemias Queta only played 22 minutes because he’s also dealing with an illness, so Williams’ contributions were much-needed.
Welcome back:Monday was the first time a pair of former Celtics players suited up in Boston. Holiday returned as a former C’s champion, also getting a welcome back video after the first quarter. Robert Williams III was also back on the parquet, finally healthy enough to play against his former team. Holiday finished with 12 points in 24 minutes on 5-for-11 shooting. Williams had six points and two rebounds for the Blazers in 19 minutes.
Upcoming schedule:The Celtics have six of their next eight games in Boston ahead of the All-Star break. Of those games, only two of them are against teams in playoff position (the Rockets and Knicks ). While the C’s have been in second in the East over the past few weeks, this upcoming stretch is a solid opportunity to keep racking up victories. Other teams in the East aren’t far behind the C’s either in the standings.
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