Celtics at Trail Blazers
Boston All-Star guard Isaiah Thomas seeks his 14th consecutive effort of
20 or more points when the Celtics visit the Portland Trail Blazers on
Thursday. Thomas is averaging 26.2 points in March and his streak of 13
straight 20-point outings is three shy of Paul Pierce's franchise
record.
Boston can move into a virtual tie with the fourth-place Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference with a victory but a loss will prompt a drop behind the Charlotte Hornets into sixth place. The Celtics are 1-1 on a five-game West Coast swing after being routed 114-90 by the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Portland is in a tight race in the Western Conference and has a slight chance of chasing down the fifth-place Memphis Grizzlies, but a slump could lead to the Trail Blazers falling out of the race as ninth-place Dallas remains in close proximity. "We just want to get as many wins as we can for the rest of the season," backup swingman Allen Crabbe told reporters. "We haven't really talked as a team about where we want to finish, but I feel like our main thing is making the playoffs."
TV: 10 p.m. ET, CSN New England (Boston), CSN Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE CELTICS (43-31): Small forward Jae Crowder (high ankle sprain) will likely return from an eight-game absence and Boston has missed his defensive presence. The squad also hasn't been as cohesive with Crowder out of the lineup and he is averaging 14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals in what is easily the best season of his four-year NBA career. Backup center Kelly Olynyk has been struggling since returning from a shoulder injury and has scored in single digits in five of the past seven games.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (39-36): Standout point guard Damian Lillard is averaging just 15.7 points over the past three games - well below his 25.4 season average - but made it clear he isn't tired when the subject was broached after Monday's 105-93 victory over the Sacramento Kings. "Honestly, I don't even care to really talk about it," Lillard told reporters. "I'm going to play, that's the bottom line. Our team is winning games when we need to win games and that's all that matters." Shooting guard C.J. McCollum is of the same mindset and he has just one 20-point outings over the past four contests.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Thomas scored 30 points as the Celtics rolled to a 116-93 home victory over the Trail Blazers on March 2.
2. Portland has won five straight home games and 14 of its last 16.
3. Boston PF Jared Sullinger is averaging 6.7 points on 11-of-39 shooting over the past four games.