For the second straight game, the Boston Celtics lost to a struggling opponent they were expected to beat at home.
The Avery Bradley-less C’s fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 127-123 in overtime at TD Garden on Saturday in Evan Turner’s return to Boston, just a few days after they lost in disappointing fashion to the New York Knicks.
Isaiah Thomas led the way for the C’s with 41 points and six assists. Marcus Smart (17 points, six rebounds and six assists), Jae Crowder (16 points), Al Horford (17 points, nine rebounds, five assists), Terry Rozier (15 points) and Kelly Olynyk (10 points) all reached double digits, while C.J. McCollum scored 35 points for the Blazers.
With the win, Portland improved to 19-27, while Boston dropped to 26-17.
Here’s how it all went down.
STARTING FIVE
Isaiah Thomas, Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, Amir Johnson, Al Horford
CELTICS START TO TAKE CONTROL
Boston got off to a strong start and led 12-4 after Crowder made a 3-pointer at the 7:58 mark, but Portland roared back and pulled to within 28-26 at the end of the first quarter. McCollum led the way for the Blazers with 12 points, while Crowder scored the most for the C’s with 11 points. Horford wasn’t too far behind with nine points and four assists in the opening 12 minutes.
The teams then traded baskets for most of the second quarter, but the Celtics outscored the Blazers 17-8 over the final four minutes and took a 65-56 advantage into the half. Portland largely was a one-man show in the first half, as McCollum led all scorers with 26 points. But the Celtics had a more balanced offensive approach with four of their five starters scoring in double digits. Thomas scored 15 of his 17 first-half points in the second frame.
COMEBACK BID?
The Celtics’ nine-point halftime lead didn’t last very long. Smart opened the second-half scoring with a 14-foot jumper, but the Trail Blazers responded with an 11-0 run to tie the game at 67 points apiece. Both teams then built back moderate leads, as the C’s led 72-67, while the Blazers went on another 11-0 run to build a 78-72 advantage. Portland ultimately had a slim 88-86 lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
The two teams were locked in a back-and-forth contest for most of the fourth. The Blazers built a 111-108 advantage after two Damian Lillard free throws and a McCollum 16-foot basket, but Thomas brought the C’s back to within one on a driving layup with 40 seconds left. Then with Boston trailing by three with under 10 seconds remaining, Rozier hit a clutch 3-pointer to tie the game and force overtime.
Thomas gave Boston its first overtime advantage when he hit a 3-pointer with 1:23 left, but Portland scored the next five points to go up 122-118. And it never relinquished the lead from there.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Watch out, Jordan Mickey!
AGAIN! Again!! Meyers did it again! #RipCity #CSNBlazers pic.twitter.com/gF7tH24lzD
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) January 21, 2017
FAN OF THE GAME
We had to include Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who played McLovin in “Superbad,” in this wrap.
FACT: McLovin is a #Celtics and #Patriots fan pic.twitter.com/a4ATeAso0p
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) January 21, 2017
UP NEXT
The Celtics will hit the road and play the Washington Wizards on Tuesday. These two teams recently have shown plenty of animosity toward each other, so you’ll want to tune in at 7 p.m. ET for that one.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
