Key Moment
It felt inevitable Wednesday night that the Boston Celtics would eventually pull away from a wounded New Orleans team. They finally did so midway through the third quarter and never looked back.
Boston strung together a 10-2 run over 1:54 of playing time to take control of the game. Jayson Tatum opened the run with a 3-pointer, Malcolm Brogdon hit two free throws, and then Jaylen Brown ended the run with five straight points to make it an 87-74 game. Brown capped the run with an and-one bucket along the baseline at the 4:11 mark of the quarter.
That lead marked the Celtics’ largest of the game to that point after CJ McCollum kept New Orleans close during the first half. McCollum scored 22 points during the first half on 8-for-11 shooting, which limited Boston’s lead to just 64-58 at the break. McCollum went cold during the third quarter, however, while the C’s remained hot.
Boston shot 47.6 percent from the field, 44 percent from long range and 90 percent from the free-throw line overall during the third period and missed only one shot during its quick game-changing run. The C’s led by double-digits for all but 36 seconds the rest of the night before closing out a 125-114 win.
Key Player
Jaylen Brown might deserve some MVP chants soon, too.
While playing alongside his superstar teammate Jayson Tatum, Brown has been a superstar of his own. And he’s never been better this season than he was Wednesday night.
Brown scored a season-high 41 points against the New Orleans Pelicans to lead the C’s to a 125-114 win. And he scored those points in rather impressive fashion.
The soon-to-be two-time All-Star made 15 of his 21 shots on the night, including a 12-for-15 effort from inside the 3-point line. He was ridiculous from inside the paint, where he connected on seven of his eight attempts.
Oh, and did we mention that this wasn’t just a 40-point game, but it was also a 40-point double-double? That’s right – Brown also led the game with 12 rebounds, including four at the offensive end. He also blocked a shot and led the game in plus/minus rating at plus-18 during his nearly 35 minutes of action.
Box Score Nuggets
- Jaylen Brown (41 points, 12 rebounds) and Jayson Tatum (31 points, 10 rebounds) each notched monster double-doubles.
- Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to lead all reserves with 20 points.
- The Celtics outrebounded New Orleans 50-33.
- Both teams scored eight second-chance points.
- Boston led by as many as 19 points.
- Tatum, Brogdon, Grant Williams and Al Horford each dished out four assists, while Derrick White led the team with six.
- New Orleans actually made one more field goal (45) than Boston (44), but the C's made four more 3s (15 to 11) and nine more free throws (22 to 13).
- Four Celtics made multiple 3-pointers, led by four from Horford.
Quote of the Night
"They've taken a huge leap individually and together, so it's a joy to be with them."
- Joe Mazzulla on Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum