The Portland Trail Blazers played a first-half back-and-forth affair with the Boston Celtics, trading single-digit leads until Boston went ahead by 11 at the half. Under the weight of 7,375 (exact number slightly exaggerated) Payton Pritchard and Derrick White threes, the Blazers couldn’t hold up, falling 118-128 to the Celtics in TD Garden.

The game also unfortunately saw Deni Avdija leave the game and not return after re-aggravating the left quad injury that kept him out of most of one recent game and all of another.

Boxscore

Blazer of the Game

Jabari Walker. He had a career-high six made threes, shooting 8-9 overall for 22 points. The Celtics kept leaving him open, and Walker kept making them pay. He added six rebounds on top of it, going +7 in a game the Blazers lost by 10.

Stat of the Night

23-54: Threes made and attempted by the Boston Celtics. They rode hot three-point shooting early in the game when nothing else was going right and kept them in contact, then did it again once they got the rest of their house in order. Those threes pretty much sealed the deal on this contest.

What We’ll Remember

Threes. So many threes, specifically by Boston’s Payton Pritchard, who had a career-high with 10 (!) threes and pouring in 43 points on 14-20 shooting. Teammate Derrick White didn’t want to be left out, going 9-17 from deep himself for 41 points of his own. If you’re thinking that seems like a whole lot of threes, you’d be right: it was the first time in Boston franchise history that two players both made nine or more threes, and the first time Celtics teammates both scored 40 or more.

Crab Dribbles

• Referee Jacyn Goble took a spill in the first quarter directly into the courtside seats… but luckily his derriere found a miraculously empty chair and he awkwardly lowered himself into it, neither him nor spectators ending up worse for the wear.
• Scoot Henderson’s defense was inspired, especially in the first quarter. Even if it didn’t always lead to a stop, you can tell how much effort he’s putting into it.
• Toumani Camara picked up his third foul on a reversed charge call that was overturned because Camara was inside of the charge circle by what appeared to be 1/32nd of an inch.
• With the Blazers down 11 with 2:35 left, the officials called a flagrant foul on a reckless closeout of Anfernee Simons, allowing him three free throws and the ball back. He hit all three, and on the ensuing possession took another three… which just rimmed out.
• Scoot Henderson fouled out with 6.4 seconds left in the game. Okay, then.
• Blazers legend (and former Celtic) Evan Turner was in attendance tonight, telling Blazers reporter Brooke Olzendam that he was headed to Paris in the morning.

Up Next

Joe Moore will be directing several dozen monkeys at several dozen typewriters to produce your extended recap, and the Blazers saunter down to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on Fri. March 7 at 5pm Pacific.