{"id":144422,"date":"2025-03-23T22:47:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T02:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=144422"},"modified":"2025-03-23T22:49:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T02:49:18","slug":"celtics-defeat-trailblazers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/tatum-hauser-power-celtics-win-blazers\/","title":{"rendered":"Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser Power Celtics to Win Over Trail Blazers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The <\/span>Celtics\u2019 west coast trip<\/span><\/a> brought them to the Pacific Northwest Sunday night, where they routed the Portland Trail Blazers 129-116 for their fifth straight win.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jayson Tatum led the way with 30 points\u2014including 24 in the second half\u2014and Sam Hauser buried eight threes for 24 points to help Boston to a 13-point victory. With the team missing Jaylen Brown Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, Hauser (8\/10 3PT), Payton Pritchard (16 points, four rebounds, five assists) and Derrick White (17 points, eight assists) fended off Portland and their own four-game win streak.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pritchard, an Oregon native and University of Oregon alum, made his first start of the season in front of his hometown crowd but that didn’t last long. Pritchard picked up 3 fouls in less than 5 minutes and had to take a quick seat on the bench.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely very emotional, just growing up and watching these games as a kid,\u201d <\/span>Pritchard<\/span><\/a> told NBC Sports Boston in his walk-off interview. \u201cBut ultimately, my first start this year didn\u2019t go how I wanted\u2014I got three fouls in, like, three minutes…..<\/span>So, maybe I\u2019ll just stick to coming off the bench,\u201d he joked. \u201cThat\u2019s much more fitting for me right now.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Pritchard had five of Boston\u2019s first seven points before picking up his 3rd foul. The Celtics and Blazers traded buckets in the game\u2019s first five minutes, Boston leading 12-10 early on. The Celtics then separated themselves with perimeter shooting. They nailed seven threes in the first quarter, including one from rookie Baylor Scheierman<\/a> that gave the Celtics a 34-24 lead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boston\u2019s three-point dominance continued en route to a 40-28 lead with ten minutes left. Portland then stormed back with a 12-0 run, tying the contest with under seven minutes remaining. The game of runs continued as Boston scored nine straight, including Hauser\u2019s fourth three of the half with over four minutes remaining. More buckets by Hauser, White, Kornet, and Al Horford kept the Celtics in front at the break, 64-51.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boston came alive to begin the second half, led by Tatum\u2019s 18 points in the third quarter. The six-time All-Star buried his first three of the game at the 9:23 mark of the third, converting a four-point play for a 17-point Boston advantage. Just as the Celtics turned on cruise control, the Blazers began another comeback. After Toumani Camara buried a three, Shaedon Sharpe\u2019s two-hand slam cut Boston\u2019s lead to ten with 5:27 left.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tatum and Pritchard fueled the end of the Celtics\u2019 scintillating third quarter, with <\/span>Pritchard<\/span><\/a> drilling back-to-back threes for a 100-84 lead. Despite a string of buckets by Portland forward Matisse Thybulle, Boston held firm with a 102-90 lead heading into the final frame. The C\u2019s outscored Portland 27-26 in the fourth for their fifth consecutive win.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Welcome to the Pritching Hour \ud83d\ude24 pic.twitter.com\/7wSQ0L8k66<\/a><\/p>\n

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n