Blazers, Celtics seize control
The Celtics and Trail Blazers have stolen home-court advantage in their respective second-round playoff series. Now they’re focused on keeping it as their series shift to Boston and Portland.
Boston, the East’s fourth seed, came out strong and took Game 1 against top-seeded Milwaukee before getting blown out in Game 2. The series resumes at TD Garden on Friday night, and the Celtics like their chances on a court where they’ve won 12 of their last 13 playoff games.
For that trend to continue, Boston must get a better performance from Jayson Tatum. The second-year forward averaged 19.2 points per game during the Celtics’ first-round sweep of the Pacers, shooting 50 percent from the floor. In two games against Milwaukee, he has nine total points while connecting on 24% of his field-goal attempts.
“I watched film. I acknowledge that I gotta be better overall,” Tatum said. “And I will be better. It’s a bad game. It happens. I don’t think too much of it. Just ready for Game 3.”
The Celtics will also be thinking about team President Danny Ainge, who suffered a mild heart attack in Milwaukee on Tuesday night. The Celtics said the 60-year-old Ainge, who also had a mild heart attack in 2009, is expected to make a full recovery.
Milwaukee will be hoping to replicate its Game 2 performance in which it outscored Boston 39-18 in the third quarter of a 123-102 victory. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton carried the load, with help from Eric Bledsoe. He scored 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting after contributing six points on 1-of-5 shooting in Game 1.
“We’re really dangerous, especially if Bledsoe is going downhill and is in attack mode. We’re a totally different team,” Antetokounmpo said.
Out West, the third-seeded Blazers return home for Game 3 against the second-seeded Nuggets eager to play with the same sense of urgency they displayed in their 97-90 Game 2 win.
Portland was also helped by a historically bad second-quarter effort by Denver. The Nuggets trailed 50-35 at halftime after the franchise’s worst quarter ever at home in the playoffs (12 points). They made just 5 of 23 shots and missed all 10 of their 3-pointers in the quarter.
