Al-Farouq Aminu averages 10.1 points and 1.5 three-pointers per game for Portland. He’s not the guy you worry about when facing a team that has a backcourt of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. And yet it was Aminu who was the difference as the Blazers beat the Celtics, 116-109. Aminu scored a career-high 28 points on 11-19 shooting, and was 6-11 from the arc. He added nine rebounds and three blocks.
The loss puts Boston at 1-2 on this road trip, and was extremely costly in the standings. The Celts are now 43-32 and have dropped to sixth in the East.
The Blazers were red hot when they visited Boston on March 2, but playing their fourth game in five nights at the end of a long road trip. The Celts won in a blowout that night, so it figured Portland would be motivated in the rematch. Jae Crowder returned after missing eight games with a high ankle sprain, which allowed Brad Stevens to use his normal rotations and meant no drop-off in scoring from the second unit.
Boston took an early 14-9 lead behind eight quick points from Isaiah (22 on the night), but the Blazers came back to take a six-point lead by capitalizing on some sloppy turnovers by the Green. The Cs responded with a late 7-0 run (five of the points from Kelly Olynyk) and the quarter ended with a 31-30 Boston advantage.
The Celtics scored the first seven points of the second quarter, with the highlight play a Crowder trey after a hustle offensive rebound by Jonas Jerebko. Marcus Smart also made a spectacular hoop, muscling up a left-handed, fallaway push shot off a lob on an inbounds play with 0.6 on the shot clock (video below).
With the score tied at 41, the Celts ran off 11 straight, capped by an IT three. Portland climbed back to within four at halftime, 58-54. Thomas had 13 points and Turner 12. Meanwhile, Lillard had just six points and Portland had no one in double figures.
Avery Bradley (20 points) opened the third by hitting three straight jumpers and adding two FTs as Boston stretched its lead to 10. Aminu kept the Blazers within striking distance by scoring the home team’s first 10 points of the quarter. An IT trey, Jae fast break dunk, and Bradley backdoor layup off a Jared Sullinger feed forced a Portland timeout at 75-64.
With Boston ahead, 81-71, momentum shifted when Aminu blocked Thomas’ layup, then finished a fastbreak dunk on the other end. Lillard followed with a three and when Ed Davis made a putback the Blazers had scored 10 straight to tie at 81. Smart got a hoop on a Portland goaltend and Boston led by just two going to the fourth quarter.
It didn’t take Portland long to go ahead, as Aminu sank a three, and then another, for a five-point lead. Gerald Henderson then caught fire with three straight jumpers. Sully interrupted the run with a hook shot, but Portland then ran off nine more points in a row and suddenly the Celts were down 13.
Of course, these Cs never quit. They scored eight straight to close within five. With 3:44 remaining, IT was fouled and made the first FT. He missed the second, but after Crowder grabbed the rebound, Isaiah hit a triple from the corner to close within 104-102.
Moments later, IT’s drive was swatted by Aminu, but right to Crowder in the corner. Jae calmly bombed in a three to put Boston ahead by one with 1:08 left. It would have been a storybook ending, but McCollum hit a fadeaway and Aminu dunked off a Boston turnover, and Portland led, 112-109. In the final minute, Bradley missed two threes, Lillard made four FTs, and that was the ballgame.
The Green:
Crowder made an immediate impact in the first three minutes: rebounded the first shot of the game, made a steal, assisted on a Thomas triple, airballed a three, had his legs taken out (for a foul) after picking up a loose ball, and canned a midrange jumper. Jae finished with 13 points and 10 boards.
In the first quarter, Amir Johnson made a 22-footer and followed less than a minute later with his first three-point make since January 18.
The Gross:
With 7:31 left in the third quarter, Boston led by 12. With 7:35 left in the fourth, they trailed by 13.
Brad tried the hack-a tactic on Mason Plumlee in the fourth, and the big man made one of two.
Portland shot 12-22 in the fourth quarter, while Boston was 7-19.
The Greenlights:
He’s back! Jae Crowder is making it easy for his teammates & it’s still early in the game. Watch now on @CSNNE pic.twitter.com/UikDtlsdtl
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 1, 2016
A left-handed, fallaway shot on an inbounds play? No problem. 0.6 seconds on the shot clock? Still no problem. pic.twitter.com/IS7pglOJaF
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 1, 2016
IT for 3! We’ve got ourselves a game in Portland! pic.twitter.com/RrqgEdN1A8
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 1, 2016
The Grid:
- Mike Gorman mentioned that Tacoma, WA, natives IT and AB provided a combined 75 tickets for friends and family.
- For the 14th straight game, Thomas led the Celts in scoring with more than 20 points. However, he shot just 6-21 with five turnovers and just one assist.
- Lillard and McCollum shot 11-35 combined.
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