Boston Celtics bounce back in the best way ever vs Trail Blazers

The Boston Celtics, on the second night of a back-to-back, were able to comfortably handle the Portland Trail Blazers on their homecourt.

The Celtics faced a heartbreaking loss against the Utah Jazz after keeping the pressure on them throughout the game. The combination of late 3s from Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley put the game away, ending the night sourly for the C’s. A high-scoring night for Jayson Tatum and a near double-double for Al Horford was not enough to overcome the hot hands of the Jazz.

For the bout against the Blazers, both teams were missing significant pieces. Boston was without Brown, Horford, and Romeo. Portland was without their superstar, Damian Lillard, and supporting cast members Anfernee Simmons and Nassir Little.

The fans warmly welcomed Enes Kanter Freedom back. He played two seasons’ worth of basketball for Portland including 72 games last year.

The Boston Celtics shoot the lights out

Boston jumped out to an early 15-point lead at the end of the first quarter. Their first quarter lead was cut to less than half by the end of the second quarter. Boston rained on the points in the second half, closing out the third and fourth quarters with 39 and 42 points, respectively. The final score was 145-117. This was the most points ever given up by the Blazers in a regulation game in franchise history.

The team shot an impressive 56.8 percent from beyond the arch. Tatum and Dennis Schröder combined for 62 points. Freedom grabbed 15 boards.

This was the third victory recorded by this team by scoring at least 130 points.

The game was well-played by the Blazers considering the mental limbo they are in regarding the status of Lillard and his future with the team. A misunderstood third-quarter scuffle slightly stirred the pot, but that was quickly forgotten.

Payton Pritchard was the true star of the night

Though the stats put up by the Celtics were commendable, it was the hometown hero that really stole the show. Payton Pritchard, a native of Oregon, was part of a high school team that won four consecutive state titles. He also played college ball for the Oregon Ducks, where he continued to add awards to his resume before being drafted by the Celtics.

So far, in his 18 games played, he scored a total of 30 points. In his 19th game, he torched the Blazers by putting up 19 points in his 18-minute show. He earned 9 points in the last two minutes of the game by nailing three well-contested three-pointers. The Celtics bench was enjoying every moment of his shooting night and even received a technical for their celebrations. He was also cheered on by some of the Portland crowd.

Everyone on the court wearing a black jersey understood the mission—get Payton the ball.

The last possession of the game ended with a shot-clock violation since Coach Udoka told Payton to hold the ball and adhere to the game’s unwritten rules.

It was a well-earned victory.

Games like these make the ceiling so high for this team. Critics may see this win as opportunistic since the Blazers were Lillard-less, but such rationale does not hold much value. A W is a W, and an L is an L. The Celtics look to add another win to this road trip by beating the Lakers on December 7th.