#1 – Suffocating the Blazers before the break
It was the turning point of the game. The Portland Trail Blazers were slightly ahead heading into halftime, and that’s when the Celtics turned into a defensive wrecking ball. Entering the last three minutes of the first half, the Celtics were down 54-51. By the start of the second half, they were up by 11.
To finish the second quarter strong, the Celtics changed both their lineup and defensive coverage. As the Blazers were playing tall-ball with Donovan Clingan, the Celtics went small and adjusted their defensive approach. They switched off-ball to keep Al Horford close to the rim, and when they couldn’t switch, Horford was in drop coverage to limit access to the paint as much as possible.
This defensive coverage completely disrupted the Blazers’ offensive flow, preventing them from generating quality shots. On the other end, since Portland was playing big, the Celtics could outrun them in transition, but the threes started falling. As the Celtics won by 10 points, it really feels like these three minutes decided the game. Sometimes, the winning moments don’t come in the fourth quarter.
#2 – Five-out and switch-all starting five for the second half
Joe Mazzulla and his coaching staff were so satisfied with the end of the second quarter that they started the third the same way. They went small, replacing Luke Kornet with Payton Pritchard. As Mazzulla later explained in his press conference, this lineup change was also motivated by the offensive firepower it provided.
With this spacing, the Celtics were able to put Clingan in rotation and find great success. By surrounding him with shooters, they forced him to defend on the perimeter—something that is not his strength—completely neutralizing his rim protection.
Clingan is crucial for the Blazers, giving them an edge in rebounding and rim protection. By making it impossible for him to stay on the floor, the Celtics took away one of Portland’s best chances to pull off an upset in Boston.
#3 – Boston’s deep drop coverage
Before switching to a mix of zone and switching with Horford as the lone center, the Celtics initially caught the Blazers off guard with a deep drop coverage on the pick-and-roll. In today’s NBA, teams still use drop coverage, but rarely this deep. Kornet was so low in the paint that mid-range jumpers were completely open for Portland.
With this approach, the Celtics forced the Blazers to double their mid-range shot volume compared to their season average—a good strategy unless the opponent starts making them. And that’s exactly what happened.
Portland shot 55% from mid-range, forcing Boston to move away from this conservative coverage. Their success with jump shots triggered the defensive adjustment that later crushed their hopes. This game was a great example of how deep the Celtics’ defensive arsenal is—constantly adapting to opponents’ weaknesses and forcing them to play a style they don’t want.
#4 – Boston dominating the glass
On top of taking away Portland’s preferred shot selection, the Celtics also neutralized their impact on the offensive glass. Chauncey Billups’ team is one of the league’s top three offensive rebounding squads, yet they struggled in that area against Boston.
One reason might be Toumani Camara’s limited playing time due to foul trouble. The Belgian wing is dominant on the glass, but he was forced to sit and was defended by Horford when on the floor, making it much harder to impose his rebounding presence.
What made rebounding even more important in this game was that, beyond limiting Portland’s strength on the offensive boards, the Celtics also attacked them on the other end. Surprisingly, the Blazers are one of the worst defensive rebounding teams, and the Celtics took advantage—grabbing offensive rebounds on nearly 40% of their missed shots.
Led by Pritchard, Kornet, and Jordan Walsh, the Celtics relentlessly pursued second-chance opportunities, maximizing every offensive possession.
#5 – Jordan Walsh’s energy
Speaking of relentless effort, let’s talk about Jordan Walsh. The young wing played 20 minutes and made the most of them. Early in the second quarter, he learned the hard way that transition defense isn’t just about stopping the ball. In back-to-back possessions, he made two mistakes, leading to a Joe Mazzulla timeout—and likely a discussion on the bench.
Despite some bumps, he delivered a strong defensive performance, highlighted by a standout post-up possession that ended in a block.
His length was a key factor in executing Boston’s defensive strategy, and his energy on the offensive glass helped attack one of Portland’s biggest weaknesses. Even though he attempted only one shot, Walsh had a significant impact on the game.
#6 – Al Horford on young wings
The Celtics started big, with Horford matching up against Portland’s young wings—and he delivered. Initially, Boston baited Camara into taking threes. After missing two in a row, Portland shifted to driving, but the paint was too crowded.
The game plan was to force the Blazers into settling for jumpers, exploiting their lack of shooting. They applied the same approach to Jabari Walker, but Walker wasn’t deterred—he kept shooting and hit a career-high number of threes.
That’s the hard truth about variance—sometimes betting against a non-shooter works, and sometimes it doesn’t. The Celtics tried various defensive schemes in this game, and the Blazers did a good job of adjusting. So, if Portland had a better offensive game than usual in terms of offensive rating, how did they still lose? Well, something historic was happening on the other end.
#7 – Derrick White and Payton Pritchard making history
A couple of records were broken last night—both incredibly impressive. White and Pritchard became the first Celtics duo ever to score 40+ points each in a game. Think about that:
- They did what Sam Jones and John Havlicek never did.
- They did what Larry Bird and Kevin McHale never did.
- They did what Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker never did.
- They did what Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum haven’t done yet.
Being the first to accomplish something in Celtics history in 2025 is a testament to greatness. White and Pritchard made history.
On top of that, they became the first duo in NBA history to each hit nine or more three-pointers in a game—remarkable considering we’re deep into the three-point era.
#8 – Getting Payton Pritchard in his spots
How did the Celtics’ game plan help Pritchard achieve this historic night? First, he created his own looks, launching step-back threes over Scoot Henderson.
He also took advantage of Boston’s offensive rebounding and mismatch-hunting. On his sixth three-pointer, the ball came from a Jaylen Brown post-up against Anfernee Simons. Camara helped off Pritchard—wrong decision.
Another smart way of generating open threes for Pritchard was through the five-slot offense. Recently, the Celtics have stationed Kornet in the slot, even though he doesn’t shoot threes. Here, Horford attracted two defenders, leaving Kornet open. When Kornet got the ball and started a handoff with Pritchard, it created an unstoppable two-on-one situation.
Pritchard was on fire, but the Celtics’ coaching staff did an excellent job of getting him quality looks. Plus, he didn’t force any shots, making his performance even more efficient.
#9 – Finding space for Derrick White
To get White open, the Celtics targeted Clingan’s lack of mobility. With Horford as his pick-and-roll partner, White repeatedly attacked the rookie’s drop coverage. If Clingan dropped too low—pull-up jumper.
If he stepped up—kick it to Horford, relocate, and shoot over him.
When Portland adjusted with a peel switch, sending a third defender to contest Horford’s three-point threat, Boston countered by keeping the ball moving while White relocated to the corner.
By attacking weaknesses and keeping the offense fluid, the Celtics created the perfect conditions for White to thrive.
#10 – Inside playmaking
While all eyes were on Pritchard and White, Boston’s bigs quietly contributed. Both Horford and Kornet finished with four assists, showcasing their value beyond scoring.
One standout play was a short-roll alley-oop from Horford to Kornet. While they didn’t put up gaudy scoring numbers, their impact on playmaking, rebounding, and defense was crucial to Boston’s win.
