Final: Celtics 128, Blazers 118 - Pritchard, White combine for 84 points

BOSTON CELTICS (43-18) vs. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (28-34)

TD Garden, 7 p.m. - NBCS Boston

(Note: Mike Tirico will be doing play-by-play tonight as he gets back into the swing of calling NBA basketball ahead of NBC’s contract next season.)

Line: Celtics 9.5

INJURIES

Boston: Jayson Tatum (OUT, shoulder), Kristaps Porzingis (OUT, illness), Jrue Holiday (OUT, finger)

Portland: De’Andre Ayton (OUT, calf), Robert Williams (OUT, knee), Matisse Thybulle (OUT, ankle), Jerami Grant (QUESTIONABLE, knee)

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Jaylen Brown, the distributor: His passing is much improved this season, but he’s taken it to a different levels in games without Tatum. I know the inclination is to say he’ll go off for a ton of points … and he might … but he’s consistently shown these are games where he takes the distribution and getting teammates going seriously. He might even get to double-digit assists. 

2. Portland’s energy: This is their third game in four nights, and the first one was an OT game in Cleveland. So I expect a big initial burst, but I don’t think it will last. The Celtics can’t take this matchup lightly because there's an easy win waiting for them if they ramp up the pressure early. 

3. Bench contribution: The Blazers spread the wealth, and Boston has to do the same, especially in the non-Brown minutes. Payton Pritchard has to have a big game if the Celtics are going to build a big lead. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.