Celtics come up roses

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Portland Trail Blazers appeared to know just as much about resiliency as the Celtics. They were down, but not out until the final few minutes at the Rose Garden last night. Down the stretch, Paul Pierce (37 points) and Wally Szczerbiak (25 points) partnered to ensure a 102-96 Boston win.

The Celtics' second victory in three games of a four-game road trip was a grind-it-out affair. But they weren't looking for style points, just some more solid play and chemistry. The Celtics got both against the troubled Trail Blazers.

Portland closed within 85-82 when Juan Dixon hit a 3-pointer with 8 minutes 3 seconds remaining, then squandered an opportunity to draw even closer when Steve Blake, the team's best free throw shooter, missed two at the line. Then, Szczerbiak hit a 3-pointer and Pierce earned a 3-point play by drawing the foul on a ridiculously difficult layup. Blake responded with a driving layup and a 21-footer. When Darius Miles dunked with 2:54 remaining, the Blazers closed within 93-90. A pair of free throws and a reverse layup by Pierce stretched the Celtics' lead to 97-90 at the two-minute mark. Missed shots and miscues kept Portland at bay for the remainder of the game.

The Celtics welcomed Szczerbiak back to the starting lineup after he missed his first game as a Celtic when Boston played at Phoenix Wednesday night. But while injuries keep the Celtics' rotation in flux, the most important variable has been which complementary players will step up. In Phoenix, a career night by Delonte West kept Boston close. Against the struggling Blazers, the Celtics still needed someone beyond Pierce to post big numbers. There were any number of candidates, including Szczerbiak, West, Ryan Gomes, and Brian Scalabrine.

In the first quarter, it was Gomes and Scalabrine who made sure the Celtics held a slim lead (25-23) at the end of the frame. Gomes did the dirty work around the basket, grabbing rebounds and getting to the foul line, while Scalabrine nailed a pair of 3-pointers. By halftime, Gomes had already set a career high with 12 rebounds on his way to 17.

Szczerbiak found his shooting touch in the second to keep Boston ahead for most of the quarter. But the Celtics couldn't shake the Blazers, who ranked last in the league in points per game (88.9) and sat at the bottom of the Western Conference. Boston let Portland hang around too long and paid for that mistake when Martell Webster hit a 16-footer with 2.9 seconds left in the opening half. As a result, the Blazers entered halftime ahead, 52-50.

Boston led by as many as 8 points (35-27) when Szczerbiak hit a 21-footer in the opening minutes of the second quarter. The basket marked his second straight field goal after opening 0 for 3. Szczerbiak clearly needed to get his legs under him as he continues to battle stiffness in his bruised left knee. He scored 11 of his 25 in the second quarter. With Szczerbiak hitting shots and Pierce warming up, the Celtics appeared to have the game in hand until the Blazers staged a run late in the quarter after Szczerbiak pushed Boston ahead by 7 (45-38) with a 7-footer.

Portland closed the second quarter with a 14-5 run and gathered momentum for the second half. Zach Randolph started the spurt with a 5-footer, but it was Blake and Webster who did the real damage. After hitting a running 7-footer, Blake tallied a 3-pointer with 30.9 seconds left in the half to tie the game at 50. Webster also added a 3-pointer before capping the run with a 16-footer.

For a team that has trouble breaking 90 points, Portland was on a tear in the second quarter, shooting 63 percent. Meanwhile, Doc Rivers stood on the sideline shaking his head, clearly dismayed at the Celtics' defense, or lack thereof. In some ways, opponents well below the NBA elite present more problems for Boston than teams such as Phoenix. The Celtics entered the second half hoping for a third quarter like the one they produced Tuesday in Utah to earn a win. But any attempt by the Celtics at putting distance between themselves and the Blazers would have to wait until the fourth.

Portland got a little help from Gerald Green in the third when the rookie committed a foul on Travis Outlaw well beyond the 3-point arc with a tenth of a second remaining in the quarter. Rivers has said repeatedly Green needs to work on his defense. And Green wasted no time showing why.

Outlaw made two of three free throws, bringing Portland within 5 (78-73) to start the fourth. The Blazers would gladly take that deficit after trailing by as many as 9 (70-61) following a 3-pointer from Szczerbiak with 4:43 left in the third, and surviving a scoring burst (14 points) from Pierce. The Celtics also could be somewhat satisfied with their 5-point advantage since they nearly lost the lead when the Blazers closed within 1 late in the quarter. With Pierce and Szczerbiak on their side, the Celtics gladly took their chances in the fourth.