Celtics Grit Out a Win Over Portland With Defense, Hustle, and Smart Adjustments
If there was one theme heading into this matchup between the Celtics and the Trail Blazers, it was ball security. The Celtics are one of the best teams in the league at taking care of the rock.
The Blazers? Not so much - they lead the NBA in turnover rate.
But what makes Portland tricky is that, despite their youth, they play with an aggressive edge that can throw teams off rhythm. And that’s exactly what happened at TD Garden.
Boston coughed the ball up at a 17% clip - their fourth-worst turnover rate of the season. That mirrors their December trip to Portland, where they posted a 19% turnover rate. But this time, the Celtics found a way to win despite the sloppiness.
Winning the Turnover Battle
Here’s what made the difference: Boston didn’t just give the ball away - they took it right back. The Celtics forced 18 turnovers and held Portland to just 17 assists.
That’s a winning formula. The defense was locked in from the jump, baiting the Blazers into tough decisions and daring them to beat Boston with jump shots.
Spoiler: they couldn’t.
Daring Portland to Shoot
From the opening tip, the Celtics made a calculated decision - pack the paint and let Portland try to shoot over the top. Given that the Blazers rank dead last in three-point shooting percentage this season (33.7%), it was a smart gamble.
Boston effectively walled off the rim, taking away one of Portland’s offensive strengths - their high volume of shots at the basket. The Blazers typically get 34% of their shots at the rim, but that number took a hit last night.
The result? Just 94 points scored and a brutal 25% clip from beyond the arc.
Handling the Trap: Hauser’s Smart Screening
On the offensive side, Portland came in with a clear plan: turn up the heat on the ball-handler, especially in pick-and-roll situations. It looked a lot like what the Nets tried recently - aggressive traps designed to get the ball out of Jaylen Brown’s hands and disrupt the Celtics' flow.
Boston countered with a clever wrinkle: using Sam Hauser as the screener. That forced Portland into a tough spot. When they sent two defenders to trap Brown, Hauser was left wide open - and he thrives in those short-roll spots near the top of the key.
Eventually, Portland adjusted by delaying the second defender to cut off that pass. But Boston's basketball IQ shined through.
Hauser adapted, flashing to the free-throw line to make the passing lane easier for Brown. From there, the Celtics created four-on-three advantages and generated clean looks.
That’s textbook execution.
The Mid-Range Trap
Not everything was smooth sailing, though. Against drop coverage, the Celtics settled - maybe a little too much - for mid-range jumpers. In the second half alone, they took 26 of them and hit just eight.
Now, Boston’s comfortable in that area. They’ve got guys who can knock down those shots.
But it’s a less efficient option than getting downhill or drawing contact at the rim. Portland, to their credit, dictated where those shots came from - and that helped them hang around late in the game.
Rookies Bring the Energy
When the offense sputtered, it was the Celtics’ rookies who injected some much-needed life. Hugo Gonzalez and Amari Williams were everywhere - diving for loose balls, flying in for offensive boards, and making hustle plays that don’t always show up in the box score but swing momentum.
One sequence summed it up perfectly: Jaylen Brown nearly lost the ball, but Gonzalez and Williams kept the possession alive. On the next play, they forced a jump ball that Brown won.
Moments later, Williams protected the rim, started a fast break, sprinted the floor, and finished an and-one. That’s a five-point swing in a matter of seconds.
Game-changing stuff.
Crunch-Time Execution: +5 in the Margins
Sometimes, games are won in the margins - and the Celtics owned those moments. End-of-quarter execution was clutch.
At the end of the first, Anfernee Simons drove and drew help, leaving Payton Pritchard wide open in the corner. Bang.
Buzzer-beater.
Twelve minutes later, Pritchard struck again. Just before halftime, he pushed the ball up the floor, nearly lost it, recovered, and drilled a fading jumper at the horn.
Two buzzer-beaters. Five free points.
In a game decided by fewer than 10? That’s massive.
Transition Defense Tightens Up
Boston’s transition defense hasn’t always been a strong suit, but last night, it held up. The Celtics limited Portland to just 1.05 points per possession in transition - a far cry from the 1.53 points per transition possession Boston managed on the other end.
The effort was there, the floor balance was better, and players sprinted back to cut off easy looks. That kind of commitment matters, especially against a young team that wants to run at every opportunity.
Simons in the Spotlight
Anfernee Simons found himself in the crosshairs - literally. His former team targeted him relentlessly, especially in the second half. Jerami Grant went at him possession after possession.
But Simons didn’t back down. Despite giving up size, he fought through screens, stayed in front of his man, and made life tough on the ball-handler.
Sure, the Blazers got a few buckets and trips to the line, but Simons showed he’s growing as a defender. That’s a big step forward for a player known more for his offense.
Derrick White: Clutch Gene Activated
When it mattered most, Derrick White delivered. Despite turning the ball over nine times, he came through in crunch time.
First with a three. Then, after a smart pass from Hauser at the free-throw line, White buried the dagger.
And just when Portland had a chance to answer, White came up with the steal that iced it. Boston’s coaching staff had him matched up with Williams, knowing he’d be involved in the action. White read it perfectly, jumped the passing lane, and sealed the win.
A Moment for Jrue
And finally, a well-deserved ovation for Jrue Holiday. The veteran continues to be a stabilizing force for this Celtics team - on and off the court. His impact was felt throughout the game, and his leadership remains one of the driving forces behind Boston’s pursuit of another banner.
This wasn’t a perfect game from the Celtics, but it was a gritty, smart, and resilient win. They bent, but didn’t break.
They adjusted, they hustled, and they executed when it mattered. And in the end, they walked off the floor with another W - the kind that says a lot about a team’s character.