A 20-point second quarter and solid showings from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum spearheaded a 70-64 victory for the Boston Celtics over the Portland Trail Blazers in Las Vegas Summer League action on Sunday evening at Thomas and Mack Center.
The Celtics (2-0) expanded a slim 18-15 first-quarter lead to a 38-24 halftime edge before staving off a strong second-half surge by the Blazers (1-1). Portland outscored Boston by a 40-32 margin over the third and fourth periods, but the Celtics never trailed in the contest and enjoyed a sizable 45-34 rebounding advantage. Both teams had trouble finding the net, as the Celtics could only muster a 37.9 percent success rate from the field, while the Blazers only drained 29.7 percent of their 64 shot attempts.
Brown paced Boston with 13 points and complemented the scoring with eight rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block. First-round pick Jayson Tatum wasn’t as impressive as in his Vegas Summer League debut versus the Lakers, but he still managed 11 points, seven boards, an assist and a block. While no other player hit double digits in the scoring column, promising Croatian center Ante Zizic, a 2016 first-round pick who played overseas last season, turned in a full stat line of nine points, 11 rebounds, an assist, a steal and four blocks. This year’s second-round pick, Semi Ojeleye, generated another productive performance, posting nine points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal. Demetrius Jacksons supplied eight points, four assists, a rebound and a steal.
The Blazers were paced by 2017 first-round pick Caleb Swanigan, who registered 12 points, seven boards, two assists and a steal. Pat Connaughton, a 2015 second-pick of the Nets who’s seen action in 73 games the last two seasons in Portland, followed with 11 points, four assists and two rebounds. Former Celtics first-round pick RJ Hunter, trying to garner a roster spot on the Blazers, posted eight points, four rebounds, an assist and a block. Jarnell Stokes, Jake Layman and Markel Brown, all boasting previous NBA regular-season experience, provided a trio of seven-point efforts. Zach Collins, Portland’s top pick in this year’s draft, managed five points, six rebounds, an assist and three steals.
The Blazers next take the court against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday afternoon, while the Celtics tangle with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday afternoon as well.
