Jayson Tatum, Celtics ready for road-tested Blazers

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The streaking Portland Path Blazers will hit the again stretch of a six-game highway swing on Sunday once they face the Boston Celtics.

Portland (35-28) pulled out of a five-game tailspin to begin its present highway journey, successful every of the primary three video games – together with a 128-109 rout of Jap Convention-leading Brooklyn on Friday.

Damian Lillard hit 8-of-13 3-pointers to match a season-high for made baskets from distance and completed with 32 factors. Jusuf Nurkic posted his fourth double-double in Portland’s final 5 video games with 23 factors and 11 rebounds.

“Our crew is at that time the place we’re both going to crumble or we’ll dig out, come collectively and get ourselves proper,” Lillard stated. “We’re displaying some indicators of moving into the proper route.”

The present successful streak began Tuesday at Indiana, then continued the following night time in Memphis. The Path Blazers’ final three victories have come by a median of 20.3 factors per sport.

In its previous five-game skid, Portland dropped all 5 video games by not more than eight factors, and three of them had been by two factors or fewer.

The Path Blazers dropped seven of eight video games total earlier than the present highway journey, together with a further one-point loss. That got here April 13 at residence in opposition to Boston 116-115.

The Celtics (34-30) defeated the Path Blazers throughout a six-game successful streak earlier this month, which helped enhance them into the No. 6 spot within the East. The highest six groups in every convention keep away from the play-in match and mechanically qualify for the playoffs.

Boston is simply 3-4 for the reason that streak however has gained its final two video games — the latest a 143-140 time beyond regulation choice at residence over San Antonio on Friday when the Celtics rallied from a 29-point deficit at halftime in a sport once they trailed by as many as 32.

Jayson Tatum tied Larry Hen’s franchise report with 60 factors within the victory.

“Anytime you are talked about with a top-10 participant of all time in any stat, clearly that may be a good factor,” Tatum stated. “It is one thing I by no means I believe would have imagined at this age.”

Six instances in April, the 23-year-old Tatum scored no less than 32 factors, the mark he hit in opposition to Portland on April 13. He completed with 53 factors in an time beyond regulation win April 9 over Minnesota, and 44 factors on April 17 in opposition to Golden State.

His 60-point effort marked the third time in his final 4 video games performed that Tatum notched no less than 35 factors. He hit a mixed 16 3-pointers in these outings.

Jaylen Brown, who helped gasoline Friday’s comeback with 4 made 3-pointers en path to 17 factors, scored 39 and 38 factors in Boston’s two earlier outings. He adopted his 24-point effort at Portland earlier this month with 40 factors in a win over the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.

The Celtics’ backcourt duo is averaging a mixed 51.2 factors per sport for the season. They’re carrying the load with Kemba Walker (18.2 factors per sport) sidelined the final three video games resulting from an indirect harm.

The Celtics in any other case come into Sunday’s matchup wholesome. Portland is close to full power, too, lacking solely Zach Collins, who has missed this season after sustaining a season-ending stress fracture in his ankle in final August’s play-in sport in opposition to the Grizzlies.

–Area Degree Media

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