PORTLAND, Ore. — — The Boston Celtics aren’t taking 50 wins this season for granted.
Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 and the Celtics beat the Portland Trail Blazers 121-99 on Monday night despite missing two key starters.
Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis were sidelined with injuries for the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics, who reached the 50-win mark for the third straight season.
“At this point in the season, having 50 wins, that means we’re doing something right,” Tatum said. “The scary thing is that we can improve.”
The Celtics, the first team this season to reach 50 wins, have already clinched a playoff spot with 18 games remaining.
“All the guys are laughing because this time of year I say the same thing: What an honor it is to be a part of this team,” Brown said.
Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Blazers, second to last in the West. It was Ayton’s fifth consecutive double-double, tying the second-longest streak of his career.
Boston, which has won an NBA-leading 21 road games this season, pushed its lead to 20 points in the fourth quarter and had just three turnovers in the game. It was the second-fewest turnovers in a game this season: the Celtics had two in a January game against Denver.
Sam Hauser’s 3-pointer with 8:40 left in the game put Boston up 101-83, and his putback 3 made it 115-95 and sent Portland fans streaming to outputs. Hauser finished with a game-high six 3-pointers and 22 points.
“We don’t really look at a team’s record,” Hauser said. “It’s the NBA, everyone has talented players. You can lose any night, so we’re just trying to take it one day at a time, one game at a time, and find things we can improve on every day.
Holiday, who had 15 points in a 117-107 win over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night, had a sore left knee, while Porzingis missed his second straight game with a right hamstring strain.
Even without them, the Celtics led by 17 points in the first half. Ayton’s floater pulled Portland within 56-47 and Anfernee Simons added a 3-pointer to cut the lead to six points.
Tatum dunked to put Boston back up 62-50 as the Celtics went on a 10-2 run to lead 66-52 at halftime. Brown led all scorers with 17 points.
“I’m grateful to be part of a team that wins, plays the right way and has another opportunity to do something special. It’s a blessing,” Brown said.
Tatum, the Celtics’ leading scorer, was listed as questionable before the game with a right ankle issue, but started for Boston. Tatum had 29 points in Phoenix. Brown and Derrick White also played after being listed as questionable for the first night of a back-to-back.
Jerami Grant, who missed Portland’s 128-118 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night with a sore hamstring, was back in the starting lineup. Rookie Scoot Henderson’s minutes restriction due to a groin injury was also lifted and he started as well.
FOLLOWING:
Celtics: Visit the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
Trail Blazers: Host the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
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