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Key Moment
Marcus Morris Sr., Marcus Morris Sr., and more Marcus Morris Sr.
That’s what we got at the start of the second half of Monday night’s matchup between the Celtics and the Pelicans at TD Garden.
This is what the crowd heard from the Celtics’ resident PA announcer on three straight possessions, scattered over 82 seconds of playing time: “Marcus Morris Sr., for threeeeee!”
Repeat! Repeat!
The wing, who dropped a season-high 31 points on New Orleans, canned back-to-back-to-back 3s for the Celtics to open up the third period. Those three treys were Boston’s first three shot attempts of the half.
They also more than doubled Boston’s lead during that short stretch of play. The C’s, who led by just six at halftime, led by 13 following Morris Sr.’s 3-pointers, and their lead never fell in danger of dissipating the rest of the night. Boston maintained an advantage of at least nine points through the final buzzer, when it polished off its sixth straight win with a final score of 113-100.
Key Player
You already read about Marcus Morris Sr.’s back-to-back-to-back 3s to start the second half, but that’s only a piece of the complete package that he brought to the table Monday night.
Morris Sr. was on fire from start to finish against New Orleans while scoring his season-high 31 points. He made 10 of his 15 shot attempts, including a blistering-hot 5-for-8 performance from long range. Morris Sr. also added in six free throws on seven attempts to round out his scoring effort.
The shot chart for the versatile wing breaks down like this: five makes from long distance, three from the midrange, and two from inside the restricted area.
Morris Sr. also added in four rebounds and four assists during his 32 minutes of action. Boston outscored New Orleans by 11 points while he was on the court.
Box Score Nuggets
- Boston's largest lead was 22, while New Orleans' was just two.
- Marcus Morris Sr. and Jayson Tatum led Boston with 10 made field goals apiece.
- Morris Sr. scored a season-high 31 points.
- Tatum scored 21 points.
- Robert Williams, in his first extended playing time as a pro, nearly notched a double-double with 11 rebounds, seven points and three blocked shots.
- Those 11 rebounds tied Julius Randle for the most in the game.
- Anthony Davis scored a game-high 41 points.
- Morris Sr. (five 3-pointers) and Jaylen Brown (four 3-pointers) each shot it well from long distance.
- Boston's bench outscored that of New Orleans 41-21.
- Both teams attempted 19 free throws, with New Orleans making 14 and Boston making 13.
- Terry Rozier stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals.
- Former Celtic Tim Frazier dished out a game-high 10 assists.
- The Celtics outscored the Pelicans by 18 points while Davis was on the floor, marking the game's worst individual plus/minus rating.
- Jaylen Brown scored 19 points off the bench, marking his third straight game of at least 19 points as a reserve.
Quote of the Night
Brad Stevens on rookie Robert Williams.