Post Game - Celtics vs. New Orleans Pelicans - Monday, January 29 (W)

https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401585287

From another perspective:


Pelicans can't hang on against NBA's best home team as they blow late lead in Boston

https://www.nola.com/sports/pelicans/pelicans-cant-hang-on-against-nbas-best-home-team/article_70212e24-bf08-11ee-a117-d3a1bcd225e7.html

BY CHRISTIAN CLARK | Staff writer Jan 29, 2024 Updated 10 mins ago
2 min to read

The New Orleans Pelicans lost to two of the NBA’s top teams by a combined 48 points over the weekend.

On Friday, the Pelicans capped an extended home stand with a 24-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The next night, they lost by 24 points again — this time to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road.

On Monday, the Pelicans fared better against one of the NBA’s elite teams. They had a 17-point lead in the first half against the Boston Celtics, and early in the fourth quarter, they led by eight. But none of that was enough to hang on against the NBA’s best home team.

The Pelicans lost to the Celtics 118-112. The Celtics have a 21-2 record at TD Garden this season.

The Pelicans, who dropped to 26-21 overall, are 12-11 on the road. They have lost five of their last seven games.

“I loved our effort," Pelicans coach Willie Green said. "We executed well for maybe 3½ quarters of the game. We know our blind spots. We know the last five minutes of a game, we have to get quality looks. We had a few turnovers down the stretch. That’s where we have to grow.”

With 8:59 remaining, the Pelicans led 94-86. The Celtics tied the game with 6:22 to go on a Derrick White 3. That was one of four 3-pointers White knocked down as he scored 13 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Celtics closed the game on a 32-18 run.

The Pelicans’ All-Star forwards, Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, both had strong games. Ingram scored 28 points on 12-of-24 shooting. Williamson tallied 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting.

“B.I. was great," Green said. "Z(ion) was attacking. For the most part, we liked what we saw. We couldn’t sustain their run. They got going, and it was hard to shut their water off. This is what they do. It’s one of the reasons they are one of the better teams in the NBA.”

The Pelicans shot 50.5% from the field, but the Celtics had a massive advantage behind the 3-point arc. The Celtics converted 17 3s. The Pelicans converted 10.

Eight Boston players made at least one 3-pointer. Comparatively, only five New Orleans players made shots from behind the arc.

Jayson Tatum poured in a team-high 28 points for Boston. His driving dunk with 1:42 left increased the Celtics’ lead to eight points.

Jaylen Brown added a 25-foot 3-pointer on Boston’s ensuing possession. Those were death blows for the Pelicans, who battled against the first-place Celtics but still lost their third straight game.

In the fourth quarter, the Pelicans shot 2 of 10 from the field and committed five turnovers. Ingram and Williamson combined for 14 points in the final quarter. Tatum scored 14 points by himself in the fourth.

“I don’t like the (five) turnovers at all," Green said. "That’s where we have to be more mature as a team. Come down, execute, get a quality shot. Our guys in the locker room know that.”

Celtics-Pelicans takeaways: White leads fourth-quarter surge in C's win

https://sports.yahoo.com/celtics-pelicans-takeaways-white-leads-032940960.html

Justin Leger
Mon, Jan 29, 2024, 10:29 PM EST·4 min read




Celtics-Pelicans takeaways: White leads fourth-quarter surge in C's win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Three Key Storylines

Derrick White comes through in the clutch
Jrue Holiday cooks his former team
Al Horford steps up for short-handed frontcourt

The Boston Celtics bounced back from Saturday's blowout loss with a thrilling victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night.

For a while, it looked like the C's were on the verge of dropping two straight games at home for the first time this season. They trailed by as many as 17 points in what appeared to be a continuation of their dismal performance vs. the Los Angeles Clippers.

They started to find their groove in the third quarter, erasing the 17-point deficit and taking the lead with 4:45 to go in the frame. The Pelicans didn't back down as they answered every C's run with a punch of their own. In the fourth quarter though, Boston caught fire and closed out an entertaining 118-112 victory. It's now 10-1 this season following a loss.

The Celtics earned the hard-fought win despite being short-handed in their frontcourt without Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle sprain) and Luke Kornet (left hamstring tightness). Five C's players scored in double figures including Jayson Tatum (game-high 28 points), Jaylen Brown (22 points), and Jrue Holiday (20 points).

For the Pelicans, Brandon Ingram (28 points) and Zion Williamson (26 points) did most of the damage.

The Celtics' (36-11) seven-game homestand continues against the Indiana Pacers (27-20) on Tuesday night. First, here are three takeaways from Monday's action.

Derrick White comes through in the clutch

White's shooting slump continued for most of Monday night's game. After going 0-for-8 from the field and 0-for-4 from 3 on Saturday, he started 1-for-9 from the field and 1-for-7 from deep against New Orleans.

But later, in typical Derrick White fashion, he stepped up when it mattered most.

White took over in the fourth quarter to help Boston complete the comeback win. The 2024 All-Star candidate notched 13 of his 17 points in the final frame, including three clutch 3-pointers.



White finished 6-for-14 on field goals and a respectable 4-for-10 from long range. The All-Defensive guard added four assists, one rebound, a steal, and a block. He and Tatum combined for 27 of Boston's 37 fourth-quarter points.



Jrue Holiday cooks his former team

As C's broadcaster Brian Scalabrine asked during Monday's game, why would a team trade Jrue Holiday?

The Celtics' veteran guard reminded the Pelicans of their mistake in this game. When the rest of the team struggled to make shots, it was Holiday keeping them afloat. He tallied all 20 of his points on only 11 shots (7-11 FG, 3-5 3-PT) in the first three quarters, nearly topping his season-high of 22.

Twelve of his points came in the third quarter to help Boston erase its 17-point deficit. It was the most points he has scored in any quarter this season.



Holiday added three rebounds, two assists, and a steal to his stat line. White and Tatum finished the job, but Holiday was instrumental in putting the Celtics in the position to mount a comeback.

Al Horford steps up for short-handed frontcourt

The Celtics remained without Porzingis, who injured his ankle in Thursday's win over the Miami Heat. They also were missing Kornet, leaving Horford and Neemias Queta as their only available bigs.

Horford wasted little time making his presence felt. Getting the start in Porzingis' place, he drilled a 3 for the Celtics' first points of the game and proceeded to bring down six boards in the opening frame.

The 37-year-old played a key role on both ends of the floor. He totaled 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting (3-6 3-PT) to go with eight rebounds, four assists, and an emphatic block on Zion Williamson.



Horford has consistently stepped up when Porzingis has been unable to take the court. The Celtics will hope he won't have to much longer -- head coach Joe Mazzulla considered Porzingis as "day-to-day" with his injury -- but they can rest assured they're in good hands with Horford leading the frontcourt.

With the Celtics playing the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday, it'll be interesting to see how their frontcourt looks against Indiana. Horford typically plays only one game of a back-to-back, and it's unclear whether Porzingis and Kornet will be ready to return.

dboss wrote:Teams make every effort to bring their A game to the gym whenever the Celtics are the opponent.

The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel will shine through in April.  No B2B games during the playoffs  and hopefully we see a positive impact in the way that the Celtics have managed Kristaps and Al.

I agree on both counts.

As to the latter, we just have to get there relatively healthy.  Giving Z and Al plenty of rest will help, and a loss or two along the way could be an acceptable cost.