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Portland Trail Blazers (23-23) at Boston Celtics (28-17)
Monday, January 26, 2026
8:00 PM ET
Game #46, Home Game #21
TV: Peacock
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, Rip City Radio 620, Sirius XM
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
vs
Derrick White vs Jrue Holiday
Shooting Guard 
vs
Payton Pritchard vs Shaedon Sharpe
Small Forward 
vs
Jaylen Brown vs Deni Avdija
Power Forward 
vs
Sam Hauser vs Toumani Camara
Center 
vs
Neemias Queta vs Donovan Clingan
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Chris Boucher
Xavier Tillman
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Baylon Scheierman
Jordan Walsh
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Josh Minott (ankle) questionable
Neemias Queta (illness) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Trail Blazers Reserves Jerami Grant
Rayan Rupert
Robert Williams III
Yang Hansen
Two Way Players Sidy Cissoko
Javonte Cooke
Caleb Love
Injuries/Out Scoot Henderson (hamstring) out
Damian Lillard (Achilles) out
Matisse Thybulle (thumb) out
Blake Wesley (foot) out
Duop Reath (foot) out
Robert Williams III (injury management) questionable
Deni Avdija (back) questionable
Head Coach Tiago Splitter (Acting Head Coach)
Game Notes The Celtics return from a 2 game road trip to host the Portland Trailblazers for the second and final game between them this season. The Celtics lost 114-108 in Portland on December 28. The Celtics won the series between these two teams 2-0 last season. The Celtics are 77-50 overall all time against the TrailBlazers and they are 41-22 in games played in Boston. The Trailblazers have not played since Friday and the Celtics are playing in their 3rd game in 4 days, including a double overtime game against the Nets.
There are a few story lines to watch in this game. Anfernee Simons is playing against the team for whom he played the first 7 years of his career. Jrue Holiday will be playing his first game against the Celtics and in Boston where he won a championship. Robert Williaams missed the December 28th game and is questionable for this game. He has yet to play against his former team since being traded.
The TrailBlazers are not much different from last season. They have 4 of the same starters as they did when they played the Celtics last season. The starter that is missing is Anfernee Simons who was traded to the Celtics for Jrue Holiday. They signed Damian Lillard, who was waived by Milwaukee after he tore his Achilles last season and who is expected to miss this season. They bought out DeAndre Ayton, who was signed by the Lakers. They signed Blake Wesley as a free agent and they took Yang Hansen with the 16th pick in the draft.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 5.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 1 game ahead of 3rd place New York and 4th place Toronto, 2 games ahead of 5th place Cleveland, 3.5 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 4.5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 7-6 against Western Conference opponents. They are 13-7 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
The TrailBlazers are 9th in the West, 14 games behind first place Oklahoma City, 4.5 games behind 6th place Phoenix, and 7th place Phoenix, and 2 games behind 8th place Golden State. They are 2 games ahead of the 10th place Clippers and 3.5 games ahead of 11th place Memphis. They are 5-9 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 10-12 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game.
The Celtics had one game at home after a 4 game road trip. They played 2 back to back games on the road. This game begins a 4 game home stand where they will host Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee. Then, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break.
The Trail Blazers are playing in the first game of a 3 game road trip and will play Washington on Tuesday and complete the trip at New York. They will return home for a 5 game home stand where they will host Cleveland, Phoenix, Memphis twice, and Philadelphia. They will then head back on the road to play at Minnesota and at Utah. That will take them into the All Star break.
Jayson Tatum remains out for the Celtics as he continues to rehab from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year's playoffs. Josh Minott has missed the last 10 games with a sprained ankle and has been upgraded to questionable for this game. Neemias Queta has been battling an illness for the past 2 games and has played through it but he is questionable for this game. Jaylen Brown has been dealing with hamstring tightness in recent games and is not on the injury list at this time but may be a late addition.
For the Trail Blazers, Scoot Henderson (hamstring), Damian Lillard (Achilles), Kris Murray (back), Duop Reath (foot), Matisse Thybulle (thumb), and Blake Wesley (foot) are all listed as out. Deni Avdija is in danger of missing a second straight game due to a lower-back strain he suffered in Thursday's win over the Heat. He is questionable for this game. If he can't play, Sidy Cissoko will likely start in his place. Robert Williams III is also listed as questionable due to injury management. Avdija and Timelord will be a game time decision.
Key Matchups vs
Jaylen Brown vs Deni Avdija
Avdija is averaging 26 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists while shooting 47.1% from the field and 35.6% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists 1 block and 2 steals while shooting 50% from the field and 30.3% from beyond the arc. Avdija is questionable for this game and if he can't play, then Sidy Cissoko should get the start here.
vs
Payton Pritchard vs Shaedon Sharpe
Sharpe is averaging 21.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is shooting 45.5% from the field and 33.9% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics this season, he finished with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal while shooting 50% from the field and 62.5% from beyond he arc. The Celtics need to do a better job of defending him in this game.
Honorable MentionDerrick White vs Jrue Holiday
Jrue Holiday is averaging 15.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 45% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc. He didn't play in the Celtics first game against the Trailblazeers in Portland. This is his first visit back to Boston where he won a championship with the Celtics. This should be a good matchup between former backcourt teammates.
Keys to the Game Defense - I know I say it every game, but defense is the key to winning every game and will be the key to winning another championship. The Blazers have an offensive rating of 113.5 (21st) while the Celtics have an offensive rating of 121.2 (1st). The Celtics are 12th in the league with a defensive rating of 114.0 while the Blazers are 18th with a defensive rating of 115.1. The Celtics especially need to defend the perimeter as the Blazers are 3rd with 41.7 threes attempted per game. The Celtics allowed the bulls to hit 21 threes on 46.7% shooting. They have to do better at defending the perimeter. The Celtics need to keep making tough defense their priority and identity.
Rebound - As Pat Riley once stated, "No rebounds, no rings." The Celtics are 11th with 44.9 rebounds per game while the Trail Blazers are 8th with 45.3 rebounds per game. The Celtics must make an extra effort to grab rebounds in order to give themselves extra possessions as well as to keep the Blazers from scoring second chance points, as the Trail Blazers are 2nd with 17.8 second chance points per game. The Celtics were out-rebounded 48-39 in the first game against the Blazers and they have to do better if they want to win this game.
Three Point Shooting - The Celtics are 2nd in the league, taking 42.7 threes per game. The Blazers are 3rd, taking 41.7 threes per game. The Celtics make 15.8 threes per game while the Blazers make 14.1 threes per game. The Celtics need to focus on taking good shots and they need to move the ball so as to get open shots. Against the Bulls, the Celtics took 47 threes and made 15 while the Bulls took 45 threes and made 21. If the 3s aren't falling, the Celtics need to get to the basket or take mid-range shots. They also must defend the perimeter because the Blazers can get hot and put up a lot of 3 pointers if left open.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics have to be the team that works harder and wants the win more. They have to dive for loose balls, go for every rebound and just hustle on every play on both ends of the court. They have to be aggressive in getting to the basket as well and not settle for outside shots, especially if they aren't falling. Whether it's the starters or reserves, they need to go all out with maximum effort. And they need to show that effort for all 4 quarters.
X-FactorsHome and Fatigue - The Celtics are at home after back to back games on the road. They should get a boost from playing at home in front of their home crowd. The Trail Blazers are playing in the 1st game of a 3 game road trip and face the distractions of travel, hotel stays, and playing in front of a hostile crowd. The Blazers have been off since Friday while the Celtics are playing in the 3rd game in 4 nights, including a double overtime game. Fatigue could be a factor down the stretch.
Officiating - I know that I say this every game, but the officiating really is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew calls the game differently whether they call every little ticky tack foul or they let a lot of contact go and let the teams play. Some refs favor the home team and some call it evenly and sometimes they just make a bunch of head scratching calls. The Celtics have got to adjust to the way the game is being called and not let themselves get frustrated by the officiating.
Topic: Trail Blazers (23-23) at Celtics (28-17) Game #46 1/26/26 (Read 100 times)