--G Rajon Rondo had five assists and three steals in the first quarter against the Blazers. He finished with seven assists and those same three steals as the Celtics got stagnant.

--F Paul Pierce tried to pick up the slack with the offense, going to the hoop heavily down the stretch. Half of his 28 points came on free throws.

--G Tony Allen had four points and one rebound to lead a bad effort by the Boston bench in Portland. The Celtics' subs had a total of nine points and two rebounds.

MEDICAL WATCH:

--Kendrick Perkins (strained left shoulder) is playing.