Blazers Withstand Rally, Delay to Beat Celtics 100-94

The Portland Trail Blazers withstood a huge second half comeback from the Boston Celtics on Sunday night to win finish their homestand on a high note with a 100-94 victory. Al-Farouq Aminu hit two crucial threes in the final minutes to seal the win.

Damian Lillard led the Blazers with 19 points and Jusuf Nurkic added 18 points and 17 rebounds. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 27 points and Kyrie Irving added 21.

Here are a few key takeaways from tonight’s game:

• A Tale of Two Halves—The Blazers jumped out to a 17 point lead at halftime, shooting 44% from distance in the half. After a lengthy delay to begin the third quarter due to an askew rim, the Celtics outscored Portland 57-46 in the second half, thanks to hot three-point shooting of their own.
• Dame the Distributor—Lillard recorded a season-high 12 assists, including six in the first quarter alone. Jusuf Nurkic was a major benefactor, scoring 12 points in the first quarter, mostly off of the pick-and-roll with Lillard.
• Too Many Turnovers—Turnovers remain a major issue for the Blazers in the season’s early going. They had 20 on Sunday, which helped Boston get back in the game.

Box Score

Up Next

The Blazers hit the road for six-game trip, starting Wednesday night against LeBron James and the Lakers. Stay tuned for a deeper dive into tonight’s game from Brian Freeman.