Boston's Big Fourth Quarter Quiets Blazers

Celtics Notes: Boston Maintaining Resiliency In Wake Of Key Injuries

Celtics Notes: Boston Maintaining Resiliency In Wake Of Key Injuries

Boston's execution in the closing seconds was huge for the Celtics, but it was Morris' 3-pointer with less than a minute to play that gave the Celtics a 101-96 lead that would later serve as the game-winning shot, his second in as many games.

Kyrie Irving (Out - Knee): The Celtics announced that Irving will have a minimally invasive procedure on his left knee on Saturday (Mar. 24) to alleviate irritation in it. But Portland, arguably the hottest in the Western Conference, gained another measure of respect for these undermanned Celtics.

The Celtics used a 38-23 advantage during their fourth quarter comeback to defeat the Trail Blazers, 105-100, Friday night.

The Celtics showed tremendous fight out of the gate in the fourth quarter and finally retook the lead via a Morris 3-pointer with 6:30 left.

Despite their undermanned state, the Celtics closed out their season series with a 4-0 record against the Blazers and Thunder. They're without Kyrie. They're without Smart. "Their minutes and roles will increase, and there will be opportunities for Abdel Nader and Guerschon (Yabusele) and Greg Monroe and Shane Larkin". It's just about being a professional and staying ready, because you never know when your opportunity is going to come.

"He's healthy, he's confident and he's just playing very assertive right now". We didn't panic. I'm proud.

Fed boosts interest rate, predicts two more hikes this year
More broadly, 2018's growth projection rose 20 basis points to 2.7% and the FOMC took many opportunities to tighten at the margin. Shares on China's exchanges were lower, with the Shanghai Composite Index slipping as much as 1.2 percent to two-week lows.

Rod Stewart Is Taking Potshots At Elton John's Retirement
Despite the animosity, Stewart was more understanding when asked about Elton storming off stage earlier this month. Elton John chose to halt his touring career, announcing a final three year tour are a farewell to fans.

China vows to respond to tariffs with necessary measures
Chinese warplanes conducted 25 drills around Taiwan between August 2016 and mid-December previous year , according to Taipei . Beijing is talking tough to salvage its political prestige but still hoping for a solution, analysts said.

Al-Farouq Aminu collected 16 points and 10 rebounds for Portland. Happened just like that. And the 20-year-old Tatum, swallowed whole by struggles in the first three quarters, had 10 of his 13 points on the night come in the fourth quarter.

CJ McCollum scored 11 of his team-high tying 26 points (12-22 FG) in the fourth quarter. Horford, with only two rebounds over the same stretch, came up with the night's biggest board. Emphasis on heroes, too, especially when going against the likes of a Dame Lillard and McCollum (combining for 50 points) in Portland, or a Russell Westbrook-Paul George like the one they bested this past Wednesday.

Lillard, whose downtown air ball had set up Morris' bomb, hit two free throws with 47.9 seconds left. But Tatum slipped a screen, took a bullet pass from Horford and laid it in for a 103-98 Celtics lead with 32.7 seconds left.

Though McCollum cut the Celtics lead to 103-100 with 28 seconds left, Horford shut the game down when he rebounded a Tatum miss in traffic. Horford then split a pair at the line to tie it at 91-91 with 3:48 left.

Gordon Hayward (Out - Foot): Head coach Brad Stevens does not plan on having Hayward return to action this season, according to Brian Robb of the BostonSportsJournal.com. "When that is up - we lost a tough one to Houston - you've got to be able to deal with the times when it doesn't go in your favor".

Live Stream: Watch the game online with fuboTV (free trial).

Recommended News

We are pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news.
Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper.
Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.