Tatum scores 23 as Celtics rebound from back-to-back losses with 104-92 win over Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS (AP) Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and the Boston Celtics rebounded from back-to-back losses to Atlanta, pulling away in the third quarter for a 104-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots and Jaylen Brown scored 17 as the Celtics, who at 58-16 have the NBA’s best record, avoided what would have been their first three-game skid of the year.
Derrick White had 15 points and Jrue Holiday had 13 points, seven assists and eight rebounds.
Zion Williamson scored 25 for New Orleans and CJ McCollum added 24.
Porzingis said stopping the two-game skid - only the Celtics’ third losing streak of the season - was less important than simply playing well.
“Last year Denver lost four in a row at one point, and I think the team that won before that lost five in a row,” he said. “But winning is a nice habit for sure.”
Ahead 59-57 at halftime, Boston took control in the third quarter, limiting New Orleans to 11 points while Porzingis had two of his blocks. The Celtics went ahead 79-68 on Tatum’s 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the quarter and led by double digits the rest of the way, going up by 22 in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics took away open 3-point shots and funneled the Pelicans to the basket, where Porzingis was waiting.
“That has to be our identity defensively,” Porzingis said. “The guys (on the perimeter ) do everything up until that point, and when the opponent gets to the rim, they meet me. We played at a very high level.”
The Pelicans shot 4 of 23 in the third quarter and Williamson missed all five of his attempts, guarded primarily by the 6-foot-6 Brown. New Orleans did not score after Trey Murphy’s 3-pointer with 4:37 left, going 0 of 6 with three turnovers.
“Jaylen did a nice job of making it very difficult for him (Williamson),” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He still got his average on free throws, but we kept him out of transition, kept him out of the paint and the guys on the perimeter did a great job of showing help on Zion and making him give up the ball early.”
Williamson and Herb Jones each had 14 points in the first half, when New Orleans led by 11 points after Williamson’s steal and dunk sparked a 9-0 run.
“They definitely hit us first,” Mazzulla said. “Our guys did a great job keeping their poise and responding the way we know how to with our defense and our offensive execution.”
McCollum’s driving layup made it 34-23 late in the first quarter, but Boston chipped away in the second quarter, tying it at 44 on White’s tip-in of Brown’s miss.
White gave the Celtics their first lead when he hit a deep 3 as time expired in the first half, and they continued their run at the start of the third quarter.
“They upped their intensity and we didn’t match it,” Williamson said. “When we decided to match it, the game was kind of out of hand at that point.”
Brandon Ingram missed his fifth consecutive game for the Pelicans with a bone bruise in his left knee. New Orleans was trying to get 18 games above .500 for the first time since being 49-31 on April 12, 2009.
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UP NEXT
Celtics: Visit Charlotte on Monday night to wrap up a six-game road swing.
Pelicans: Host Phoenix on Monday night in the fourth of six straight at home.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Kristaps Porzingis vs. Jonas Valanciunas (Derrick White gains possession) | |||
11:42 | Jayson Tatum turnover (bad pass) (Herbert Jones steals) | |||
11:35 | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point running layup (CJ McCollum assists) | 0-2 | |
11:26 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 2-2 | |
11:07 | Jonas Valanciunas misses two point turnaround hook shot | |||
11:05 | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | |||
11:00 | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | |||
10:55 | Trey Murphy III defensive rebound | |||
10:50 | +3 | CJ McCollum makes three point running pullup jump shot (Trey Murphy III assists) | 2-5 | |
10:33 | Jrue Holiday misses three point jump shot | |||
10:30 | Zion Williamson defensive rebound | |||
10:24 | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point driving reverse layup | 2-7 | |
10:04 | Jaylen Brown misses two point driving finger roll layup | |||
10:02 | Trey Murphy III defensive rebound | |||
10:00 | CJ McCollum misses three point running jump shot | |||
9:56 | Zion Williamson offensive rebound | |||
9:54 | Trey Murphy III misses three point jump shot | |||
9:51 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
9:42 | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | |||
9:39 | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | |||
9:30 | +2 | Jonas Valanciunas makes two point hook shot (CJ McCollum assists) | 2-9 | |
9:16 | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 5-9 | |
9:00 | Jonas Valanciunas offensive foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | |||
9:00 | Jonas Valanciunas turnover (offensive foul) | |||
8:41 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup | 7-9 | |
8:30 | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point driving layup (Jonas Valanciunas assists) | 7-11 | |
8:30 | Kristaps Porzingis shooting foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | |||
8:30 | Zion Williamson misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
8:27 | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | |||
8:19 | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point alley-oop layup (Jayson Tatum assists) | 9-11 | |
8:03 | CJ McCollum misses three point jump shot | |||
8:03 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
7:49 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup | 11-11 | |
7:39 | +3 | Herbert Jones makes three point jump shot (CJ McCollum assists) | 11-14 | |
7:24 | Trey Murphy III shooting foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | |||
7:24 | +1 | Kristaps Porzingis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 12-14 | |
7:24 | +1 | Kristaps Porzingis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 13-14 | |
7:16 | Kristaps Porzingis kicked ball violation | |||
7:08 | Jonas Valanciunas misses three point jump shot | |||
7:03 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
6:58 | Jayson Tatum turnover (lost ball) (Zion Williamson steals) | |||
6:53 | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point running dunk | 13-16 | |
6:41 | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | |||
6:41 | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | |||
6:20 | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point driving dunk | 13-18 | |
6:01 | Jrue Holiday misses two point driving layup | |||
6:00 | Jrue Holiday offensive rebound | |||
6:00 | Jrue Holiday misses two point tip layup | |||
5:57 | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | |||
5:53 | +3 | CJ McCollum makes three point running pullup jump shot (Jonas Valanciunas assists) | 13-21 | |
5:53 | Celtics 60 second timeout | |||
5:37 | Jaylen Brown misses three point jump shot | |||
5:34 | Zion Williamson defensive rebound | |||
5:22 | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point cutting layup (CJ McCollum assists) | 13-23 | |
5:05 | +3 | Al Horford makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 16-23 | |
4:48 | CJ McCollum misses three point jump shot | |||
4:45 | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | |||
4:37 | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point cutting dunk (Derrick White assists) | 18-23 | |
4:27 | Kristaps Porzingis shooting foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | |||
4:27 | +1 | Zion Williamson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 18-24 | |
4:27 | +1 | Zion Williamson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 18-25 | |
4:06 | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point turnaround jump shot | 20-25 | |
3:51 | Zion Williamson misses two point driving layup | |||
3:49 | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | |||
3:45 | Sam Hauser misses three point running jump shot | |||
3:41 | Larry Nance Jr. defensive rebound | |||
3:27 | Jordan Hawkins misses three point jump shot | |||
3:23 | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | |||
3:17 | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | |||
3:14 | Payton Pritchard offensive rebound | |||
3:11 | Jaylen Brown turnover (lost ball) (Trey Murphy III steals) | |||
3:02 | +3 | Herbert Jones makes three point jump shot (Jordan Hawkins assists) | 20-28 | |
2:44 | Payton Pritchard misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
2:41 | Larry Nance Jr. defensive rebound | |||
2:33 | +2 | Herbert Jones makes two point driving layup (Zion Williamson assists) | 20-30 | |
2:06 | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point jump shot (Sam Hauser assists) | 23-30 | |
2:05 | Celtics delay of game violation | |||
2:00 | Sam Hauser personal foul (Take) (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | |||
2:00 | Pelicans 60 second timeout | |||
1:46 | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point pullup jump shot | 23-32 | |
1:24 | Payton Pritchard turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | |||
1:07 | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point driving layup (Larry Nance Jr. assists) | 23-34 | |
1:06 | Pelicans delay of game violation | |||
0:50 | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point driving layup | 25-34 | |
0:32 | CJ McCollum misses two point stepback jump shot | |||
0:29 | Al Horford defensive rebound | |||
0:19 | +3 | Jrue Holiday makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 28-34 | |
0:02 | +3 | Naji Marshall makes three point jump shot (Larry Nance Jr. assists) | 28-37 | |
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:39 | Kristaps Porzingis blocks Jordan Hawkins's two point driving floating jump shot | |||
11:36 | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | |||
11:24 | Naji Marshall blocks Jayson Tatum's two point driving layup | |||
11:23 | Naji Marshall defensive rebound | |||
11:14 | CJ McCollum misses two point floating jump shot | |||
11:12 | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | |||
11:05 | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | |||
11:02 | Jonas Valanciunas defensive rebound | |||
10:44 | Dyson Daniels misses three point jump shot | |||
10:40 | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | |||
10:38 | Dyson Daniels personal foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | |||
10:36 | Naji Marshall personal foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | |||
10:27 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 30-37 | |
10:03 | Dyson Daniels misses three point jump shot | |||
9:59 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
9:52 | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point cutting dunk (Jrue Holiday assists) | 32-37 | |
9:28 | Jordan Hawkins misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
9:26 | Dyson Daniels offensive rebound | |||
9:18 | Jonas Valanciunas misses two point turnaround bank hook shot | |||
9:16 | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | |||
9:06 | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | |||
9:05 | Celtics offensive rebound | |||
9:05 | Jordan Hawkins personal foul (Loose ball) (Payton Pritchard draws the foul) | |||
8:53 | Jayson Tatum misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
8:52 | Xavier Tillman offensive rebound | |||
8:50 | +3 | Jrue Holiday makes three point jump shot (Xavier Tillman assists) | 35-37 | |
8:49 | Pelicans 60 second timeout | |||
8:34 | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point driving layup (Herbert Jones assists) | 35-39 | |
8:25 | Jrue Holiday turnover (bad pass) (Dyson Daniels steals) | |||
8:03 | +3 | Larry Nance Jr. makes three point jump shot (Dyson Daniels assists) | 35-42 | |
7:41 | Larry Nance Jr. shooting foul (Xavier Tillman draws the foul) | |||
7:41 | Xavier Tillman misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
7:41 | Celtics offensive rebound | |||
7:41 | +1 | Xavier Tillman makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-42 | |
7:28 | Zion Williamson turnover (bad pass) (Jrue Holiday steals) | |||
7:20 | Jrue Holiday turnover (lost ball) (Trey Murphy III steals) | |||
7:10 | Herbert Jones misses three point jump shot | |||
7:06 | Dyson Daniels offensive rebound | |||
7:05 | Trey Murphy III misses three point jump shot | |||
7:02 | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | |||
6:44 | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point pullup jump shot | 39-42 | |
6:15 | Jump ball. Jrue Holiday vs. Zion Williamson (Celtics gains possession) | |||
6:17 | Zion Williamson turnover (lost ball) (Jrue Holiday steals) | |||
6:05 | Jaylen Brown turnover (lost ball) (Dyson Daniels steals) | |||
5:58 | Zion Williamson misses two point running layup | |||
5:56 | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | |||
5:49 | Xavier Tillman misses two point turnaround hook shot | |||
5:46 | Herbert Jones defensive rebound | |||
5:38 | Herbert Jones misses two point driving layup | |||
5:37 | Dyson Daniels offensive rebound | |||
5:37 | +2 | Dyson Daniels makes two point tip layup | 39-44 | |
5:16 | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 42-44 | |
5:01 | Zion Williamson turnover (lost ball) (Jaylen Brown steals) | |||
4:57 | Jaylen Brown misses two point driving layup | |||
4:56 | Derrick White offensive rebound | |||
4:56 | +2 | Derrick White makes two point tip layup | 44-44 | |
4:43 | +3 | Herbert Jones makes three point jump shot (Trey Murphy III assists) | 44-47 | |
4:21 | +2 | Al Horford makes two point layup (Jaylen Brown assists) | 46-47 | |
4:07 | Al Horford blocks Herbert Jones's two point layup | |||
4:04 | Herbert Jones offensive rebound | |||
4:00 | +2 | Larry Nance Jr. makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Dyson Daniels assists) | 46-49 | |
3:59 | Celtics 60 second timeout | |||
3:37 | Jayson Tatum misses two point pullup jump shot | |||
3:34 | Trey Murphy III defensive rebound | |||
3:32 | CJ McCollum misses three point running jump shot | |||
3:30 | Celtics defensive rebound | |||
3:13 | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 49-49 | |
2:54 | +3 | Trey Murphy III makes three point pullup jump shot | 49-52 | |
2:25 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Al Horford assists) | 51-52 | |
2:06 | +3 | Herbert Jones makes three point jump shot (Zion Williamson assists) | 51-55 | |
1:38 | Derrick White misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
1:36 | Jaylen Brown offensive rebound | |||
1:34 | Trey Murphy III blocks Jaylen Brown's two point putback dunk | |||
1:34 | Trey Murphy III defensive rebound | |||
1:27 | Herbert Jones misses three point jump shot | |||
1:24 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
1:10 | Jayson Tatum turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | |||
1:10 | Jayson Tatum technical foul | |||
1:10 | +1 | Trey Murphy III makes technical free throw 1 of 1 |