Whether they were experimenting in them or not, the Boston Celtics really needed a win vs. the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Arena on Saturday afternoon after a pair of tough road losses to the Atlanta Hawks earlier this week.
And they got one to the tune of a 104-92 victory despite some early struggles with New Orleans’ physicality, thanks to a strong second half. Outstanding play from all five starters carried the day for Boston with double-digit scoring. Jayson Tatum (23 points, 9 rebounds), Kristaps Porzingis (19 points, 10 boards, 4 blocks), and Jaylen Brown (17 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists) in particular helped carry the Celtics to the win, avoiding a three-game losing streak for the third time this campaign.
Al Horford (9 points, 6 boards) also had a good game for Boston off the bench.
New ep of the Celtics Lab Podcast on YouTube via @CelticsCLNS ☘️🧪📺
— Celtics Lab Podcast (@CelticsLab) March 26, 2024
First: How the NBA moves forward in the era of sports gambling with @SopanDeb
Then: Levels of concern around the Jrue Holiday injury
Sponsored by: @PrizePicks https://t.co/BitLnHNaRF
With the win, the Celtics improve to 58-16 as they remain on top of the Eastern Conference standings with an 11.5 lead over the second-place Milwaukee Bucks.
They also continue to own the best record in the NBA by a good amount, with a 6.5-game lead over the tied Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder, who share the best record in the league’s Western Conference.
Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ
