Tatum leads with 30 points in Celtics win over Portland 115-93

Tatum led an excellent offensive effort for the Celtics, who had suffered a series of meltdowns during their recent slump that included losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers, NY Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.

But there were few signs that Boston’s problems persisted against Portland, as the Celtics returned to winning ways in decisive fashion.

Boston, which lost first place in the Eastern Conference last week, led from the start of the first quarter and never looked back, leading by 27 points in the quarter before ending with an encouraging victory.

All of Boston’s starters finished in double figures with Tatum’s 30 points leading, while Derrick White added 21 points, Al Horford finished with 17, Jaylen Brown with 11 and Marcus Smart with 10.

Meanwhile, Boston’s defense held point guard Damian Lillard to 27 points while only two other Portland starters managed double-figure scores.

Tatum was pleased that Boston had managed to keep Portland at arm’s length after their recent losses, in which they blew big leads.

“We were up 15 or more in the second and we held that lead, we haven’t lately,” Tatum said. “In the third quarter we took the lead and didn’t let them get back into the game, something we’ve struggled with the last two games.”

Boston now leaves for a six-game road trip in which they will look to build on Wednesday’s win.

“We have to get back on the right track,” Tatum added. “We had a little slip up losing three in a row, and we have to get back to playing the way we know how to play.”

Meanwhile, in Miami, Cleveland held off a late rally by the locals to extend their recent winning streak to three games by beating the Heat 104-100.

The Cavaliers, who are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 42-26 record, completed the victory thanks to 25 points from Darius Garland and 18 from Donovan Mitchell.

Star forward Jimmy Butler led Miami’s scorers with 28 points while Tyler Herro finished with 22 points for the Heat, seventh in the East.

In New Orleans, a flurry of late touchdowns by CJ McCollum led the Pelicans to a 113-106 win over the Dallas Mavericks as Luka Doncic was held to just 15 points.

McCollum finished with 32 points, 13 of them in the final four minutes of the game, as the Pelicans cruised to a well-deserved victory.

– Results of Wednesday in the NBA:

Atlanta a Washington 122-120

New Orleans a Dallas 113-106

Chicago a Denver 117-96

Boston a Portland 115-93

Cleveland a Miami 104-100

Phoenix a Oklahoma City 132-101

– In Game:

LA Clippers vs Toronto

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