If there are any questions about whether the Celtics will be well-positioned to win a second consecutive NBA title this season, their game against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday should be submitted as evidence on their behalf.

With Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday all sidelined, and Jaylen Brown scuffling through an uneven offensive game, the Celtics gave the NBA a reminder of their unusual depth, and ability to puncture a defense from so many angles.

Payton Pritchard erupted for 43 points and Derrick White poured in 41, career highs for both, to lead the Celtics to a 128-118 win over Portland. They became the first Celtics teammates to reach the 40-point mark in the same game, and the first duo in NBA history to connect on at least nine 3-pointers.

Pritchard was 14 for 20 from the field and 10 for 16 from the 3-point line, and he was serenaded with “MVP” chants when he put the finishing touches on the win at the foul line. White made 14 of 26 shots overall and 9 of 17 3-pointers.

The rare times the Celtics did miss, they were often there to gobble up offensive rebounds. They held a 23-11 edge on second-chance points.

Anfernee Simons led the Blazers with 30 points.

Portland opponents entered Wednesday attempting 35.5 3-pointers per game, third fewest in the NBA. But its defensive scheme certainly did not cause the Celtics to alter their approach in the first half, when they fired up 31 3-pointers.

Boston started the game by missing four 3-pointers in a row, but Pritchard and White ensured that the slump was brief.

Pritchard hit two in a row in quick succession, and with 2:30 left he drained a contested fadeaway from the right corner. White then connected on back-to-back deep 3-pointers before Pritchard’s catch-and-shoot dart from the left arc with 8.2 seconds left sent Boston to the second quarter with a 31-26 lead.

Portland hit three 3-pointers in a row during its 9-0 surge that gave it a 41-34 advantage. But the Celtics controlled the rest of the half, with White and Pritchard leading the way.

White hit three more 3-pointers over an 80-second stretch to ignite Boston’s comeback.

Pritchard then hit another 3-pointer before finding White in the left corner for his sixth 3-pointer of the half, part of the Celtics’ 32-14 run. White had 24 first-half points and Pritchard added 18.

Brown had a mostly quiet half until the end, when he scored Boston’s final three baskets—all two-pointers—and the Celtics took a 66-55 led to the break.

And the respite did nothing to cool down Pritchard or White. Pritchard started the second half in place of Luke Kornet. A White 3-pointer stretched Boston’s lead to 81-63, and Pritchard took over soon after that.

He hit two more 3-pointers over a 42-second span, and then his 3-pointer from the left arc with 1:54 left gave the Celtics a 99-77 lead. Pritchard had 19 points in the quarter, and by the end the crowd was buzzing with anticipation every time he touched the ball. There were even boos when the Blazers intentionally fouled him in the final seconds when they had a foul to give.

With all eyes on Pritchard and White, the Trail Blazers began to crawl back while no one was really paying attention to them. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Anfernee Simons and Toumani Camara helped slice what was once a 25-point deficit to 122-113 with 3:09 left.

But this run mostly just ensured that White and Pritchard would stay on the floor down the stretch. Both players received ovations when their respective career highs were shown on the video board during fourth-quarter timeouts.

Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.