The Portland Trail Blazers (40 - 36) defeated the Boston Celtics (43 - 32) 116 - 109 at Moda Center on Thursday. The Celtics dropped their second straight game to Western Conference opponent’s in the back and forth affair that featured two of the craftier coaches in the NBA. Terry Stotts’ group got the better of Brad Stevens’ currently fourth seeded team. Boston was able to get their shots off terrific creation in the first half and entered the third quarter with a slim four point lead, but C.J. McCollum and Al-Farouq Aminu were all but unstoppable down the stretch to give the Blazers the edge. Aminu made up for a brutal shooting night from Damian Lillard, who simply could not get into a rhythm at any point, or break away from the defensive swarm sent his way. Lillard finished with 14 points on 3 - of - 16 shooting, and did the majority of his damage from the free throw line. Aminu bailed out the all - star point guard with one of his best performances of the season, as he finished with 28 points, nine rebounds, one assist and a steal on 11 - of - 19 shooting in 36 minutes. Gerald Henderson and Allen Crabbe were efficient off the bench and aided the starters with a combined 26 points and nine rebounds. While the Celtics have success against the Eastern Conference, they fail to impress against the talent that the Western Conference throws their way, granted they just got Jae Crowder (ankle) back from an eight game absence. The integral part Crowder plays on both ends of the floor will give Boston a boost heading into the playoffs, as proven by his 13 points, 10 boards and two assists. It might take some time for Crowder to find his three point shot again, but when he does it will only make the Celtics better. Avery Bradley and Isiah Thomas sliced and diced through the Portland defense in the first half, and came out of the contest with a combined 42 points and 10 rebounds. The west coast trip continues for the Celtics, as they face up against the league’s best Golden State Warriors (68 - 7) at Oracle Arena on Friday, while the Blazers welcome Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat (43 - 31) on Saturday.
["TeamStat(G,'Trail Blazers') has 36 Losses ,has 116 Total points ,has 40 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 32 Losses ,has 109 Total points ,has 43 Wins ."]