The Boston Celtics hosted the 8-31 New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson Sunday night. The final score at TD Garden was 120-119 as Boston overcame a slow start and a hot shooting New Orleans Pelicans team who kept it close all night long. Jayson Tatum led the way for Boston with 38 points and 11 rebounds.
After a brutal home loss to the Sacramento Kings on Friday, Boston started out the game ice cold, missing their first 7 shots of regulation before Kristaps Porzingis finally got the C’s first bucket with a long three-pointer.
The pace was fast to start the game as NOLA was looking to run off every defensive rebound. The Pelicans would start the game with Dejonte Murray and Trey Murphy III hitting on their first two baskets each as the Pels opened up an 18-10 lead over the home team.
Fan Favorite’s Al Horford and Payton Pritchard were the first players off the bench for Boston as Joe Mazzulla continued with the double big lineup, as Kristaps stayed in the game for the home team.
Former Atlanta Hawk, Dejonte Murray seemingly loves to play Boston, as he was unconscious from behind the arc in the first quarter hitting 5 straight three-pointers to pace the New Orleans Pelicans with 17 points. The Pelicans ended the quarter with a 35-29 lead. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had 13 points at the quarter with Kristaps Porzingis chipping in 9.
Boston’s stay ready crew entered the game in the second quarter and it yielded results immediately as the Celtics hit a pair of triples to cut the lead to a single basket. Jaylen Brown was quiet to start the game, but finally got his first score at the nine minute mark of the second quarter with a strong And1 layup finish in the paint.
Brown then drove and lobbed his third assist of the night to 7-footer Luke Kornet for the alley-oop dunk. Derrick White, not to be outdone, scored his first points of the night, banking an off-balance 8-foot jump shot as Boston finally took the lead 46-45.
The Celtics second quarter was highlighted by a 11-2 run over three and half minutes stretch as the home team would open up a 5 point lead. The Pelicans and Zion Williams answered with 4 straight points to regain the lead in an entertaining first half.
Boston took back the lead with a pair of back-to-back threes from Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis as the C’s held a narrow lead 62-61 at the half. The Pelicans shot 50% from three on 11-22, as Boston struggled with 8-27 from behind the arc.
After missing the first 4 shot attempts to start the second half, Jayson Tatum finally scored a corner three for Boston and then had a fast break dunk off a stellar Jrue Holiday assist. Rookie Yves Missi and veteran guard CJ McCollum got in on the scoring act for New Orleans to pace the last placed team in the western conference. A Kristaps Porzingis tip layup and a Jaylen Brown fast break dunk saw both teams trading buckets and the lead.
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Kristaps Porzingis was involved in the action on both ends, blocking shots and his seventeenth point of the night was a highlight. The Latvian big man caught a Jrue Holiday lob and finished with an aggressive one-handed slam that got the crowd involved. Boston was facing off against a pair of former Celtics, Daniel Theis and Javonte Green, and both played significant minutes for the road team Sunday night. Green was feisty in his defensive efforts on Jayson Tatum, and Theis rebounded well all night for the visitors.
Trey Murphy III, was super aggressive in the third quarter for NOLA, with 13 points in the quarter. Tatum paced the Celtics on the other end, as he had 11 points of his own in the third quarter as Boston held a slim two-point lead, 90-88 heading into the final quarter.
The start of the fourth was much of the same as both teams traded baskets; the last-placed Western Conference team looked anything but as they pushed Boston all night. The eighteenth lead change of the game came off Jose Alvardo’s third three-pointer.
A Jrue Holiday circus shot gave the C’s a four point lead with six minutes to go in the fourth. Trey Murphy III was consistent all night for New Orleans and he had 30 points with 5 minutes to go in the contest. After going scoreless for NOLA, Dejonte Murray hit his first points since the first quarter, a deep three to tie the game at 110 apiece.
Jayson Tatum went off glass for Boston as the Celtics edged ahead 114-110. Despite feuling the C’s all night, Jayson Tatum picked up his first foul on Dejonte Murray behind the arc giving the Pelicans a chance to take the lead back once more 115-114. Jayson Tatum’s dunk and 36th point of the night saw the crowd jump to life. He then blew an open layup but regained his miss to dunk once more and score 38 points on the night.
Both teams traded free throws down the stretch and a Derrick White 5-second violation gave the Pelicans a chance to win on a last second floater by McCollum, thankfully for White, the ball bobbled free and Boston held the lead.
Boston next face the Raptors on Wednesday 15th of January in Toronto at 7:30pm EST.
