The Boston Celtics just beat the Portland Trail Blazers at home after a buzzer-beating fadeaway shot from the right elbow by big man Al Horford. That shot capped a performance of 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks on 8-for-12 shooting from the field, including 2-for-2 from three.
A combined 57-point performance from the Blazers' “big three” made up by Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic. It appeared as if Portland had control of the game, but the Celtics managed to pull some fourth-quarter magic and get the win. It was a close game all along. The fourth quarter alone had five ties and three lead changes.
By the start of the last period, the Blazers led 73-69. A basket and an assist from Al Horford plus a shot from Jayson Tatum tied the game at 75. But after a tip-in from Ed Davis and a three-pointer and a free throw by CJ McCollum, Boston was already down 81-75. After a layup from Jusuf Nurkic that had the Blazers up by six, the Celtics hit three straight three-pointers to take an 88-85 lead. Jusuf Nurkic then committed an offensive charge, his sith foul of the game, and fouled out with two-and-a-half minutes left.
A mid-range shot by Damian Lillard with 35 seconds left on the clock tied the game at 93. Terry Rozier made a long, step-back two, but Damian Lillard answered on the other end by making a driving layup and getting a foul. He made the free throw and the Blazers took a 96-97 lead with seven seconds remaining. The Celtics had possession, and with four seconds left, Jaylen Brown inbounded the ball and Horford launched the game-winner. Everybody at the TD Garden jumped off their seats.
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