Celtics 104, Trail Blazers 86
CELTICS 104, TRAIL BLAZERS 86: Ray Allen and Paul Pierce had 22 points apiece and host Boston rode a dominant second quarter to an easy victory over Portland.
Boston (21-18) scored 32 of the first 38 points in the second quarter to punctuate its most dominant stretch of the season. The Celtics have won six of their last seven games following a five-game losing skid.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 22 points for the Trail Blazers (19-21), who have dropped six of seven to fall two games below .500 for the first time.
Already up 28-17 after a strong first quarter, the Celtics scored the first 15 points of the second to effectively put the game away. Sasha Pavlovic was the catalyst, scoring eight points highlighted by a three-point play with 7:52 remaining.
Allen's 3-pointer with 4:56 left kickstarted another dominant stretch for Boston, and his two free throws three minutes later capped off the 32-6 run that put the Celtics ahead 60-23.
Both teams played out the string over the final 24 minutes, with the Celtics emptying the bench for the entire fourth quarter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Aldridge had eight of the Trail Blazers' 13 second-quarter points. ... Portland outrebounded Boston 53-32. The Celtics came into the night ranked last in the NBA in rebounding at 39.1 per game. ... Boston plays its next eight games on the road beginning Sunday in Los Angeles. The trek will cover all four mainland U.S. time zones.