BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 26 points and reached 10,000 in his NBA career, leading the Boston Celtics past the Portland Trail Blazers 124-107 on Sunday night for their 13th straight home victory.
Kristaps Porzingis had his third straight double-double with 12 points and 10 boards in just 27 minutes for NBA-leading Boston.
Payton Pritchard scored 20 points, Derrick White had 15 and Jrue Holiday 12 for the Celtics, who have won 14 of their last 16 overall.
Dalano Banton led Portland with 28 points and Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 14 rebounds. Jabari Walker added 14 points and 18 rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who finished 2-5 on their seven-game road trip.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum sat out because of a right knee contusion. It was the sixth game missed for the team’s leading scorer (27.0 points per game).
Boston locked up the league’s best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs last week.
Playing in his eighth season, the 27-year-old Brown reached 10,000 points with a driving left-handed scoop shot in the opening minute of the second half.
During the game’s next timeout, the PA announcer informed the crowd that he reached the milestone and the TD Garden crowd gave him a standing ovation. He walked onto the court, waved and smiled before play resumed.
Boston was up by eight in the final quarter before putting it away with consecutive 3-pointers from Sam Hauser and Xavier Tillman that closed a 12-0 spree, making it 112-94 with just over four minutes left.
The Celtics took the lead on Brown’s basket late in the first quarter and never trailed again.
During pregame lineup introductions, the Celtics congratulated Portland coach Chauncey Billups on being elected into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Billups and Vince Carter headed a 13-member class that was announced Saturday.
Early in the first quarter, Boston welcomed back former center Robert Williams III along with guard Malcolm Brogdon. Both were traded to Portland in an offseason deal that landed them Holiday. There was a picture of Williams with his nickname “Time Lord” on the video board.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Host New Orleans on Tuesday.
Celtics: At Milwaukee on Tuesday.
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