BOSTON — The Jrue Holiday tribute video provided a brief intermission to the chaos, but the start of Monday night’s game between the Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers was a complete onslaught.
For the Celtics, everything was flowing. For the Blazers, nothing went right. Boston put a significant emphasis on controlling the glass, and it paid off. They honed in on Donovan Clingan, who grabbed 18 rebounds against Boston on December 28, sending multiple bodies at him when needed.
But the early portion of this game was highlighted by the play of rookie center Amari Williams. The British big man screened the Blazers into oblivion, battled hard on the glass, and showcased some eye-popping defensive skills, too.
Holiday nailed a couple of triples, and the Blazers made a solid run in the second, but the Celtics never lost control of this game in the first half.
Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard heated up in the third quarter, which extended Boston’s lead even more, and Portland’s physicality, though impressive, couldn’t slow them down consistently. But the Blazers weren’t going away.
Stop after stop, tough bucket after tough bucket, the Blazers found a way to get back in the game. Jerami Grant led the way on offense as Portland’s slew of lanky defenders made life hard on Boston.
The start of the fourth was make-or-break time for the Celtics. Neither Brown nor Pritchard was on the floor. So, the Celtics did what any Joe Mazzulla team should be expected to do: They grinded.
A couple of hustle steals were paired with some unsightly turnovers. It was ugly. Pretty basketball was not present in the first few minutes of the final frame. But Boston played with grit. And Sam Hauser came alive.
Three after three, Hauser lifted the Celtics back up. The Blazers whittled Boston's lead down to single digits, but Hauser's shooting granted them their cushion back.
Then, the threes started to fall in bunches. Anfernee Simons here, Derrick White there. Pritchard got in on the action, too.
But again, the Blazers wouldn't go away. They bodied Boston on defense, making every single offensive possession a slog. By the time the final two minutes came around, the Celtics' flow was gone, and Portland was making its money in transition and with hustle plays.
What was once a 16-point fourth-quarter lead was down to just five with 42 seconds to go. But White did what White does: Hit big shots.
His triple with just under 24 seconds to go put Boston up by eight, and his steal on the next inbound play was the finishing touch.
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Big winner: Williams. There are still plenty of problems for Williams to iron out before he becomes a regular part of the Celtics’ rotation, but the outline is clearly there.
Slowly but surely, as the game progressed, Williams became Mazzulla’s go-to choice at center. Luka Garza was out, but Williams still played more minutes than Neemias Queta, who started the game, and Josh Minott, who returned from an ankle injury just to receive a DNP.
He created a lot of space for Boston's ball-handlers with his screens, and he consistently found space under the basket. Still, his rebounding needs some work, especially when it comes to getting into position quickly.
Ouch, tough one: Offensive consistency. Unless the ball was in Brown's or Pritchard’s hands, it was going to be a struggle to score. That’s just life against this Blazers defense.
Sidy Cissoko. Ryan Rupert. Toumani Camara. Holiday. Clingan. Portland has a roster full of impact defenders who thrive in one-on-one and help situations. That made it tough on the Celtics.
The big picture: Fresh off a tough loss to the Chicago Bulls, Monday night wasn't pretty. But sometimes, that's what happens in January. It's the doldrums of the NBA season for a reason.
Still, finding a way to win will always be Boston's most important goal. Sometimes, the shots won't fall consistently. Sometimes, the opponent's defense will stifle Boston. But only one stat matters.
And on Monday night, the Celtics did just enough to earn that tick in the win column.
