Audio & Video

Garden Report: Jayson Tatum is back

Jayson Tatum, last week’s eastern conference player of the week, built on it in Portland with a clutch performance and said he’s nearly 100% back from COVID-19.

By CLNSMedia Apr 14, 2021, 9:00am EDT

The Celtics beat the Trail Blazers in a thriller where the lead changed more than 20 times and Damian Lillard threatened into the closing seconds. Marcus Smart held him to 1-of-5 shooting though and guarded Jusuf Nurkic in spots while Jayson Tatum delivered the win on the offensive side of the ball with 32 points and the game sealing three. The Celtics have won 7-of-10 and the Garden Report and team reacted, courtesy of CLNS Media.

Celtics vs Trail Blazers Post Game Recap

The Boston Celtics were able to come away with a 116-115 win vs the Portland Trailblazers late on Tuesday night. The Celtics improved to 2-0 on their road trip with one game left in LA against the Lakers. The Garden Report recaps the game, giving their thoughts, insight, and analysis.

Jayson Tatum led the way in scoring with 32 points. He also added nine rebounds and five assists. Jaylen Brown was second in this regard, putting up 24 points on solid shooting. Kema Walker also pitched in with 21 points on the night.

Marcus Smart made some key plays throughout the game and especially down the stretch. He had a huge block on Norman Powell that was reminiscent of his block against Powell in the playoffs last season. His defense has come into question in recent weeks and he had all the answers against Portland. He was also the guy tasked with guarding Damian Lillard for the majority of the game. Smart also put up 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Marcus Smart’s Defense Saved the Celtics

The Garden Report has previously been called out by Marcus Smart for their criticism about his defensive play. In Celtics vs Blazers postgame, Smart said he is “just getting started to getting back to where I was and letting people know not to forget who I am on that defensive end and what I do.”

Should players use outside noise to motivate themselves? Should the media get any credit for the increase in better play?

The Garden Report answers it all and more as they highlight another great defensive game by Marcus Smart. They also quickly touch on their initial comments about his ability to defend shifty guards and if it was right or wrong. How is Smart’s defense affecting the rest of the Celtics team? Celtics currently rank 10th for fewest PPG allowed to an opponent with about 110 PTS. Smart himself is averaging a defensive rating of 110.6 per game with 1.5 steals per NBA.com. Facing off against the Blazers and Dame Lillard, Smart finished off with 13 PTS, 7 ASTS, 4 REBS, 2 STLS, and 1 block in the Celtics 116-115 win.

Post Game Show