The five-game road trip for the Boston Celtics ended just how it began – with a loss.
This time it was the Portland Blazers delivering yet another defeat to the Celtics, 100-94.
Boston trailed big most of the game, but mounted a 10-0 rally that brought them within 58-49.
Portland responded with back-to-back baskets by their top scorers, Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum whose play propelled Portland to an 83-70 lead going into the fourth.
Boston responded with an 11-0 run capped off by a 3-pointer from Terry Rozier that made it a one-possession game (85-83) with 8:22 to play.
The Celtics eventually tied things up at 86-all behind a Marcus Morris 3-pointer.
Boston Celtics
But that would be as close as Boston would get for the rest of the game, with Boston (7-6) losing for the fourth time in its last five games.
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s loss at Portland.
STARS
Damian Lillard: He spent most of the first half playing the role of set-up man, but balanced that out in the second while looking more for his shot. He finished with a strong night, tallying 19 points and 12 assists for his first double-double this season.
Jayson Tatum: For most of the game, Tatum was the primary source of offense for the Celtics. He would lead the Celtics with a season-high 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting to go with 7 rebounds.
Kyrie Irving: Credit the Portland defense for making it tough as possible for Kyrie Irving to score. He finished with 21 points – his season average – but did so on 9-for-22 shooting from the field.
Jusuf Nurkic: He exemplified Portland’s dominance on the boards, finishing with a double-double of 18 points and 16 rebounds.
STUDS
Marcus Morris: Some timely shot-making a solid play defensively were once again being offered up by Marcus Morris. He finished with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting which included a game-tying 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. Morris also grabbed six rebounds.
C.J. McCollum: After scoring two points on 1-for-6 shooting in the first half, McCollum got it going in the second half and finished with 14 points.
Gordon Hayward: This was one of his better games offensively for the Celtics, contributing in several key categories before finishing with seven points to go with nine rebounds and five assists.
DUDS
Celtics first half offense: Shot-making has been an issue of sorts most of this season for Boston, with Sunday’s performance par for the course. Boston shot just 37.2 percent from the field, a major factor in their inability to keep pace with the Blazers whose lead at the half stood at 54-37.
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