VENUE: TD Garden
The Boston Celtics are undefeated at home against Eastern Conference opponents this season. Boston would also like to own a home-court edge versus the West.
The Atlantic Division-leading Celtics try to win their fifth straight Wednesday night, when they go for their seventh consecutive victory at home versus the struggling Portland Trail Blazers.
Boston (13-4), which is 7-0 against the East at TD Garden in 2010-11, has dropped four in a row at home to the West since a 94-86 victory over Sacramento on March 26. The defending Eastern Conference champions lost 89-84 to Oklahoma City on Nov. 19 in their only home game versus the West in 2010-11.
Boston, though, returns to TD Garden riding a four-game winning streak following Tuesday's 106-87 victory at Cleveland.
Playing with a tender left hamstring and sore foot, Rajon Rondo had a season-high 23 points with 12 assists. Kevin Garnett posted his second straight double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and Glen Davis added 17 and 11 off the bench as the Celtics kept pace with Orlando for the best record in the East.
"He's the one who runs our team," Garnett said of Rondo, who leads the NBA with 14.1 assists per game.
Rondo will try to lead the Celtics to a season high-tying fifth straight victory as they try to record their seventh consecutive home win versus Portland (8-9). After winning by an average of 21.3 points in the Trail Blazers' previous four visits, Boston needed overtime to pull out a 98-95 victory Jan. 22.
If Wednesday's contest is close down the stretch, Celtics coach Doc Rivers has to like his team's chances of defeating a Portland team playing so poorly in the fourth quarter.
The Trail Blazers scored 11 points in the final 12 minutes of Tuesday's 88-79 loss at Philadelphia, and they are averaging 15.3 points in the fourth quarter during their four-game skid.
Portland's last five-game losing streak was March 27-April 6, 2008.
"We're getting open looks and we're not knocking down shots," said coach Nate McMillan, whose team is shooting 39.1 percent during its losing streak - 28.4 percent (23 for 81) in the fourth quarter. "You've got to take care of the ball, you've got to defend the ball and you've got to score in this league."
That could be difficult against the Celtics, who are among the league leaders defensively, holding teams to 92.9 points per game on 43.9 percent shooting. Boston has fared even better during its winning streak, holding teams to 86.8 points and 41.0 percent from the field.
The matchup between Rondo and Andre Miller should be intriguing, as should Garnett against Trail Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge.
In Portland's last visit to Boston, Aldridge scored 19 points with 10 rebounds while Garnett had 13 points in his first game after missing 10 with a hyperextended right knee.
Paul Pierce, who has scored 19 or fewer in six straight games, is averaging 22.2 on 51.1 percent shooting during the Celtics' home winning streak against Portland.
Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy, averaging 19.3 points in three games since missing three with a knee injury, was sidelined for last season's loss in Boston with a hamstring injury.
Portland, which has dropped five of six on the road, has lost two straight and nine of 10 to the Celtics.
