PORTLAND, Ore. - As cold as it may be in Boston , the Celtics probably won't mind it, considering the heat they endured out West.

After leaving Boston with the best record in the NBA, the Celtics will return home with a 1-3 mark on an unsuccessful trip, which ended with a a 91-86 loss to the Blazers at the Rose Garden last night.

Paul Pierce scored a game-high 28 points and had five rebounds while Kevin Garnett had 17 points. Boston shot only 40.3 percent.

Despite a left ankle injury, Portland center Greg Oden had a solid game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points and 7 rebounds.

Travis Outlaw drove past Pierce for a baseline dunk over Garnett to give Portland an 87-83 lead with 29.4 seconds left. Pierce, however, earned a 3-point play with 22.6 seconds left to trim Boston's deficit to just 87-86.

Then Sergio Rodriguez made two free throws to push Boston behind, 89-86. The Celtics called time out, but Eddie House put up an air ball on a contested 3-pointer.

Rudy Fernandez nailed two free throws to seal it. Boston was outscored, 27-22, in the fourth quarter.