If it feels as if Golden State plays Portland every few weeks, there is a reason for that. Counting the preseason, Golden State will be facing the Trail Blazers for the eighth time in the past 12 months. when the teams square off in a game with a rare 8 p.m. start time. Though they have played three times already this regular season, figuring out how to beat the Blazers is something Golden State has yet to do.
"To me, the last six minutes of the game, he was just a great playmaker," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "He had the offensive rebounds, he made plays in the seam, he was great at the point of attack defensively."
Neemias Queta had somewhat of a slow start to his first season as a starting center, but his development over the last few weeks has been a positive for the middling Celtics. On Saturday night, Queta played the best game of his career, and did so against one of the best defensive centers in the NBA, Rudy Gobert. Taking on the four-time NBA defensive player of the year didn't seem to faze Queta, who finished his night with 19 points and 18 rebounds, both career highs.
Things started to look ugly in the second quarter, though, as the Hawks went on a 13-2 run, the Raptors were 1-12 (1-12!) to start the second frame and their 3-point shooting went cold. To add salt to the wound, Scottie Barnes & RJ Barrett really struggled to put points on the board.They only had 18 points in the second frame, but their spirited effort set the tone of what would be a much different second half.
