Pre-Game Pelicans

I won't repeat all I said in another thread on this, suffice to say here is one more opportunity for Boston to say and show the discombobulation is over and crush these clowns, Zion or no Zion. This and the next game vs. DAL.

This is yet another up and coming team with a 12-17 record that we have to play. Sound familiar? If you are a gambler, bet against us today until further notice or things change. Yep, BOS -2.5. That's about where we are right now. No respect nor none deserved at this point. No one fears us. Not even the odds makers. Hell, we don't even scare ourselves! Pelicans will beat that and us given our current state. Please show me evidence to the contrary telling me I've lost my mind and I'm all ears.

Early start to this game at 3:30pm give us a bailout if we lose. We've heard and used all the excuses/reasons for our mediocre performance with brief flashes of brilliance to this point. Let's see what we've got.

If that team that played Friday night shows up, look out! One can only hope we can put two games in a row together.

db

dbrown's right, Vegas doesn't have any respect for us and nor should they until we show them reasons to think otherwise.

Zion is a load but, fortunately, we have a Semi.  He is, literally, built for this.  He's probably one of the very few players in the NBA who has the footspeed to stay in front of Zion and still might be strong enough to put a body on him.  Having said that let's be fair and not forget Zion probably has 40# on Semi.  Semi will sleep well tonight.

Ingram vs Tatum will be an interesting matchup.  So will Lonzo vs Jaylen.


Bob


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Celtics look to continue momentum against reeling Pelicans

https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-look-continue-momentum-against-191629914.html

Sat, February 20, 2021, 2:16 PM

The Boston Celtics are playing better after putting a season-worst stretch behind them.

On Sunday they visit the New Orleans Pelicans, who seem unable to solve their ongoing defensive problems.

The Celtics beat the visiting Atlanta Hawks 121-109 on Friday to win for the second time in three games after experiencing a season-worst stretch of seven losses in 10 contests.

"It was a great win for us," said Kemba Walker, who led Boston with a season-high 28 points. "I thought we played well. We moved the basketball. Defensively, we were in the right spots. Hopefully, we can really just build off this."

Walker returned after sitting out a loss to the Hawks on Wednesday for load management. In his last four games, he is averaging 22.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 17 of 31 on 3-pointers. The Celtics won three of those games.

"Kemba's been really good," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "You can tell he's really coming, and that's a real positive for our team.

"We've struggled through this stretch and there's been a lot of angst and a lot of talk. But in three of the four games he's played in we've won. And in all of them he's played well."

Boston, which committed 18 turnovers, saw a 27-point, third-quarter lead shrink to nine points before Daniel Theis, returning from a two-game absence due to a finger injury, scored 10 points in the final four-plus minutes.

The Celtics, who are beginning a three-game road trip in New Orleans, tied a season-best by making 55.6 percent (50 of 90) of field goals on Friday.

They could be in for more offensive success against the Pelicans, who had an 11-point lead against visiting Phoenix after three quarters Friday but got outscored 41-12 in the fourth quarter of a 132-114 loss. It was the largest one-quarter scoring deficit in franchise history.

"We had a disastrous quarter," New Orleans coach Stan Van Gundy said.

Jae Crowder made three 3-pointers as the Suns turned the game around by starting the fourth quarter with a 17-2 run that grew to 27-5.

"They were hitting us with haymakers," Van Gundy said. "Then it just snowballed. They were scoring. We were facing set defense. We were stagnant."

The Pelicans have struggled with their defense consistently, but especially as they have lost five of their last six and allowed an average of 127.7 points.

Phoenix made 58 percent of its shots, including hitting 22 of 39 on 3-pointers.

"It's every night," Van Gundy said. "I can't just leave it to they had a good night. It has to be about your defense to a large degree."

The fourth quarter wound up being historically bad because it wasn't just the defense that failed. The Pelicans' 12 points in the period were a season-low for any quarter and they had seven turnovers that led to 14 Suns points.

"I think us not getting stops kind of demoralized us on the offensive end," said Lonzo Ball said, who had 21 points and 12 assists. "We see them hitting threes back-to-back-to-back and we weren't really getting any real ball movement or any good shots or generating any type of pretty good offense."

--Field Level Media

Boston plays New Orleans, aims to break road skid

https://www.espn.com/nba/preview?gameId=401267625

Boston Celtics (15-14, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (12-17, 12th in the Western Conference)

New Orleans; Sunday, 3:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Boston will try to break its three-game road slide when the Celtics visit New Orleans.

The Pelicans are 7-7 in home games. New Orleans ranks sixth in the league with 51 points in the paint led by Zion Williamson averaging 18.6.

The Celtics are 7-9 on the road. Boston is ninth in the NBA in 3-point percentage, shooting 37.7% as a team from deep this season. Jaylen Brown leads them shooting 41.6% from 3-point range.

The matchup Sunday is the first meeting this season for the two teams.

TOP PERFORMERS: Lonzo Ball leads the Pelicans with 5.0 assists and scores 14.3 points per game. Brandon Ingram is averaging 24 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists over the last 10 games for New Orleans.

Jayson Tatum is second on the Celtics averaging 4.8 assists while scoring 25.8 points per game. Brown is averaging 18.4 points and 4.1 rebounds while shooting 36.0% over the last 10 games for Boston.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pelicans: 5-5, averaging 122.5 points, 44.3 rebounds, 27.8 assists, 7.3 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119 points on 50.4% shooting.

Celtics: 4-6, averaging 108.9 points, 42.2 rebounds, 21.9 assists, 7.1 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 44.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.1 points on 47.1% shooting.

INJURIES: Pelicans: Steven Adams: out (ankle).

Celtics: Romeo Langford: out (right wrist), Marcus Smart: out (calf).

Has anyone heard any news/rumours on Nesmith. He went out of the game vs Atlanta and the replay seemed to show he tweaked (hopefully) his ankle in a weird way.

He has built up a good momentum with some energy on D and an OK shooting, would hate for yet another injury in such a key moment for him to drag him back down into the dog house.