Those factors led to a 114-108 defeat, snapping a four-game winning streak and ruining Brown’s ninth consecutive game of at least 30 points. But he was in the middle of two key turnovers near midcourt when the Blazers blitzed in the final minutes.
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One led to a Shaedon Sharpe steal and free throw that gave the Blazers a 107-105 lead with 1:08 left. After the play, Brown got into an exchange with Derrick White, who didn’t get open after Brown got doubled. On the next possession, White dribbled up the floor and threw an errant pass to Brown near midcourt that resulted in a backcourt violation.
Portland’s Deni Avdija then responded with a running layup for a 4-point lead. Following a White 3-pointer, former UConn standout Donovan Clingan gobbled his 18th and final rebound and scored a putback and free throw for the dagger with 22.4 seconds left.
It was a fitting conclusion to an error-filled game for the Celtics, who had the fewest turnovers in the NBA.
White took responsibility for the lack of late-game execution.
“It’s my bad, just [have to] be better and make sure we’re all on the same page,” White said. “We’ve got to get a shot up in those times. Those three turnovers there, all my fault and I’ve got to be better in a moment like that.”
It was a difficult offensive night for White, who scored 12 points on 5-for-16 shooting. Many of his customary floaters or 3-pointers off screens weren’t falling and the Celtics lack of shot making cost them a 10-point lead early in the third quarter.
The Blazers kept coming and made a series of big shots. Sharpe tied his season high with five 3-pointers. Rookie guard Caleb Love, a 27 percent 3-point shooter, made four of his 10 attempts, including a wide-open look on a defensive miscue that gave Portland a 103-100 lead with 4:30 left.
Former UConn standout Donovan Clingan dunked on Luka Garza for 2 of his 18 points.Amanda Loman/Associated Press
Portland attempted and made more threes than the Celtics. Toumani Camara, a 34-percent shooter, made at least four for just the sixth time in 32 games. Each time the Celtics rallied in the second half, Portland had a 3-point answer.
“With the bigs in foul trouble you’re going into zone a little bit and you have to [give up something],” Mazzulla said. “It’s a balance. We have to do a better job adjusting as the game goes on.”
Clingan, a mammoth big at 7 feet 2 inches and 280 pounds, occupied considerable space in the paint and had plenty of opportunity for offensive rebounds. He was 7 for 7 inside and let the Celtics know about it after each bucket with trash talk. In one third-quarter sequence, after dunking on Luka Garza, Clingan looked down at his opponent and scowled.
Jaylen Brown was called for a foul on this drive to the basket against the Trail Blazers’ Deni Avdija.Amanda Loman/Associated Press
The game began contentious with Brown picking up a flagrant foul on Avdija for an elbow going to the basket and then getting into several exchanges with Camera. After a 27-point first half, Brown found more difficult footing because of double-teams and traps.
The Blazers held Brown to seven second-half shots and 10 points. His teammates score 35 points after halftime.
“I guess they caught us on our heels a little bit,” Brown said. “We weren’t able to take advantage. They started blitzing me, started double-teaming. A couple of times I was able to get off it and make a play on the back side but it just didn’t seem like, we didn’t execute enough. We knew they were going to do that.”
On the final play of the first half, Brown hit a stepback 3-pointer in the face of Portland’s Kris Murray and then took an elongated route to the locker room, screaming at the crowd. He then had more words for Camara, a second-team All-Defensive selection last season.
“It was just the emotion of the game,” Brown said of his words for the crowd. “[Camara] is a good young player, a good defender. Tonight was a winnable game that we dropped, kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.
