Another day, another disappointing fourth quarter. Boston failed to close out the game, and lost by five points to Portland.
When Celtics and Blazers met on December 4th, Boston had its best offensive performance of the season, scoring 145 points on 57 percent shooting. Portland was without superstar point guard Damian Lillard, and tonight marked his 10th straight missed game as he recovers from an abdominal injury.
The Blazers surprisingly went 5-4 in their last nine games without Lillard because 22-year-old Anfernee Simons has been playing like Allen Iverson crossed with Steph Curry.