The Boston Celtics got dropped on Saturday by the Milwaukee Bucks with Jayson Tatum turning into a ghost. Can Tatum and the Celtics recover right away, as they prepare for a matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers, who are in a good mood following a win over the Memphis Grizzlies? Catch the game live on Monday at 3:30 AM (Manila time).

HOME TEAM: Boston Celtics (43-22, 23-9 at home)

With Jayson Tatum playing like he just came out of a freezer, the Celtics failed their latest test against the Milwaukee Bucks in a 119-112 loss Saturday. Tatum played nowhere near the high expectations of him by his team and Boston fans, as he scored just five points on a salty 2-of-8 shooting from the field.

Tatum still recorded seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals in 32 minutes, but it’s his offensive output that Boston needed from him the most, and that he wasn’t able to deliver the goods on that end of the floor definitely hurt the Celtics. Tatum and the Celtics have a chance to recover on Monday against the Trail Blazers, whom the swingman lit up for 36 points and eight 3-pointers in a 118-106 road win last February.

ROAD TEAM: Portland Trail Blazers (30-37, 11-23 on the road)

Thanks to the lengthy suspension of play in the NBA, the Blazers were able to get two of their big boys healthy enough to help them make a push for the playoffs inside the Orlando bubble. Of course, we are talking about Jusuf Nurkic and Zach Collins, who combined for 25 points and 18 rebounds in the Blazers’ 140-135 overtime win against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

But the real stars of the show for Portland were, as usual, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, who had 29 and 33 points, respectively. Carmelo Anthony joined the party with 21 points for Portland, which shot a high 53.8 FG%. Lillard, who, like Nurkic and Collins, did not play in the first meeting with Boston this season, leads Portland with 28.9 points per game.

PREDICTIONS:

Tatum is just too good to play like a headless chicken two games in a row. Expect him to be a whole lot better against a weaker defensive team than the Bucks in a 112-108 win over the Blazers.