Brown, Tatum take charge as Celtics ease past the Trail Blazers for win no. 50

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 53 points as the league-leading Boston Celtics--sans Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday--rolled past the Portland Trail Blazers, 121-99.  

Jaylen Brown and the 1st-place @celtics become the first team to 50 wins this season!

Jayson Tatum: 26 PTS, 5 REB, 8 AST
Sam Hauser: 22 PTS, 6 3PM
Deandre Ayton: 22 PTS, 15 REB pic.twitter.com/7Vjx37L5EL

— NBA (@NBA) March 12, 2024

Brown scored 27 points to go along with six boards and five dimes, while Tatum added a 26-5-8 statline. The Celtics led by as many as 24 points, recorded just three turnovers the whole game, and notched an NBA-best 21th road win.

Throw it DOWN 🔨 pic.twitter.com/gRq75btjmz

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 12, 2024

Porzingis was out due to a right hamstring tightness, while Jrue Holiday missed just his sixth game of the season due to a left knee tendinopathy.  Even without the two, the Joe Mazulla-led squad led by as much as 17 points in the first half. Portland trimmed the lead to single digits after a DeAndre Ayton bucket before Anfernee Simons drained a triple to go within striking distance at 56-50.  Boston, however, responded with a 10-2 run to close the second frame holding a 14-point lead, 66-52.  From that point, the Celtics remained in the driver's seat as Brown and Tatum put up another dazzling show including this razzle-dazzle transition play from the two All-Stars.  

The Jays making plays 🤯 pic.twitter.com/FT9uV9EKXu

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 12, 2024

Deandre Ayton led the way for the Trail Blazers with his fifth straight double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds.  The Celtics remained atop of the Eastern Conference with a superb 50-14 win-loss slate, and are 8.5 games ahead of the second-seed Milwaukee Bucks. The Trail Blazers suffered yet another loss and dropped to 18-46 in the West, good for the 14th spot.