Portland Trail Blazers (9-3) at Boston Celtics (4-7), 6 p.m. (ET)
(SportsNetwork.com) - The Portland Trail Blazers, armed with a six-game winning streak, hit the road, starting Sunday evening with a trip to TD Garden to face the Boston Celtics.
The Blazers haven't lost since Nov. 8 in Los Angeles to the Clippers. During their winning streak, the Blazers only won once on the road, a 17-point romp in Denver.
Last time out, Portland cruised to a 105-87 drubbing of the Chicago Bulls, who played without former MVP Derrick Rose, perennial All-Star Pau Gasol and Kirk Hinrich, Rose's replacement in the starting lineup.
"Obviously Chicago didn't have three of their main guys, but I liked our demeanor," Blazers coach Terry Stotts said.
Damian Lillard had 21 points and nine assists in three quarters of work. LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Blazers, while Robin Lopez and Wesley Matthews both finished with 12. Chris Kaman chipped in 10 off the bench.
Nicolas Batum returned from a two-game absence and scored nine points.
The Blazers led by as many as 17 in the opening frame before the Bulls cut the gap to 39-35 in the second. Portland later responded with an 18-2 run and were never threatened again.
The Blazers held a 48-28 points in the paint advantage. Portland shot 49.4 percent (39-of-79) from the field and 9-of-16 from beyond the arc. The Blazers held the Bulls to 36.1 percent (30-of-83) from the floor.
Portland will visit Philadelphia and Charlotte on the road trip.
The Celtics returned to the loss column on Friday after a win over the 76ers on Wednesday ended a three-game skid.
Boston fell to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum, 117-100.
Kelly Olynyk paced Boston with 18 points, while Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green netted 13 and 12 points, respectively. Avery Bradley and Marcus Thornton scored 11 each and Evan Turner chipped in 10 points.
The C's couldn't handle Marc Gasol on the interior. The Memphis center finished with 32 points and eight rebounds.
"Gasol was huge," Celtics head coach Brad Stevens said. "He was the best player on the floor. He kept making plays with the pass and the shot."
The Celtics have lost three straight in Boston and Sunday starts a three-game homestand. This won't be an easy residency with the Bulls and defending champion San Antonio Spurs in town after Portland.
The Blazers have won three straight versus the Celtics. Prior to this winning streak, Boston was 13-1 versus the Blazers. Portland's win in Boston on Nov. 15 of last year snapped a nine-game road losing streak in this series.