----- Al Horford sinks at jump shot at the buzzer as the Boston Celtics defeat the Portland Trail Blazers 97-96 Sunday afternoon in Boston.
With the crowd at TD Garden sporting their Tom Brady gear, Al Horford sent the home crowd into the freenzy. Horford hit a 15-foot fadeaway at the buzzer as the Boston Celtics downed the Portland Trail Blazers 97-96 on Sunday.
The Trail Blazers missed a golden opportunity Sunday afternoon in Boston. The Celtics were without Kyrie Irving and facing a 16-point halftime deficit, but they managed to fight back and top Portland after a strong surge in the third quarter. The Blazers were outscored 31-19 in the third and managed to make just six of their 23 field goal attempts.
With the Blazers leading 85-79 with 5:37 to play, the Celtics responded with a 11-0 run to take control of the game. Damian Lillard gave Portland life scoring eight points in the final 1:05 including a three-point play giving the Blazers a 96-95 lead with 7.2 seconds to play.
Horford led Boston (39-15) with 22 points and 10 rebounds including the game-winner and Jayson Tatum added 17 points and five assists. The Celtics had a 42-36 advantage on the glass. Boston is now 31-1 on the season when they win the rebounding battle.
Portland (29-24) got 22 points from CJ McCollum and 21 points from Damian Lillard. Maurice Harkless added 19 points off the bench connecting on 5-for-5 from three-point range. Harkless received playing time in place of the injured Shabazz Napier.
Next up- The Trail Blazers will travel to Detroit to meet the Pistons in the second of a back-to-back on Monday afternoon. The game is scheduled to tip off at 4:00 PM.
Chad's take- Hope Neil Olshey finds more than cash considerations before the NBA trade deadline arrives this Thursday.