Ray Allen’s dramatic 3-pointer with 10 seconds left helped the Celtics hold off a furious rally as Boston trimmed the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 99-95 Wednesday night.
Boston led 96-80 with five minutes left to play but watched Portland cut the deficit to 96-95 on Brandon Roy’s short jumper with 36 seconds to play.
But Allen nailed a long 3-pointer to extend the lead to 99-95 and Boston hung on from there.
Allen finished with just nine points and had missed his first five 3-pointers before hitting the clutch bomb from the corner to lift Boston to its fifth straight win. Paul Pierce helped the Celtics build its second-half cushion with a game-high 28 points. Pierce was 9 for 11 from field while hitting 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
Wesley Matthews led Portland (8-10), which has lost five straight, with 23 points. Andre Miller added 20.
The Celtics (14-4) were sloppy early, turning the ball over seven times in the first quarter and Portland turned it into a fast 22-12 lead. Boston had cut the deficit to 26-20 at the end of the quarter and trailed 49-48 at the half.
Portland | Boston | |
Wesley Matthews 23 | Scoring | Paul Pierce 28 |
Andre Miller 6 | Assists | Rajon Rondo 10 |
Marcus Camby 9 | Rebounds | Kevin Garnett 8 |
Brandon Roy 8 | Free Throws Made | Paul Pierce 6 |
Rudy Fernandez 2 | Steals | Marquis Daniels 2 |
Marcus Camby 4 | Blocks | Kevin Garnett 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Portland | 95 | 45.9 | 7-17 | 20-23 | 19 | 28 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
Boston | 99 | 57.1 | 6-14 | 21-26 | 23 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 17 |