Everything you need to know about the Pelicans’ 108-89 win over the Celtics in quickie form.
BOX SCORE
HEADLINES
Too much Davis: The Celtics may have one of the best big-man defenders in the NBA in Al Horford but it didn’t matter against the MVP candidate. Anthony Davis did whatever he wanted for most of the night, posting 34 points and 11 rebounds in rather effortless fashion. He went 14-of-24 from the field and repeatedly created open looks for his teammates due to all the attention that he drew on rolls to the rim throughout the night. He also made Horford look silly a couple of times in one-on-one post matchups. Once the rest of the Pelicans got going in the second half, the undermanned C’s couldn’t contain the New Orleans offense.
AD with another impressive performance with 34 points and 11 rebounds. #DoItBig pic.twitter.com/EMgCyifL1X
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 19, 2018
Second-half letdown
Boston was undermanned for the second-straight game with Kyrie Irving and Jaylen Brown still sidelined. That is bad news against a team like the Pelicans who run a guard-heavy lineup around Davis. Despite this, the Celtics managed to stay on top throughout the entire first half thanks to some hot shooting from Jayson Tatum (team-high 23 points) and solid team defense. The bottom fell out in the second half though as the C’s offense dried up (36 percent shooting from the field) and the Pelicans scored at will from the field (56 percent) and free throw line (16 attempts) while taking advantage of Greg Monroe and other slow-footed Boston defenders. The Pelicans outscored the Celtics 61-40 over the final 24 minutes to run away with the win.
TURNING POINT
Abdel Nader
missed four-straight free throws at 10:54 mark of the fourth quarter (one technical free throw and a 3-shot foul). The Celtics still remained within striking distance at this point of the game (only down six), but the four misfires were the beginning of the end for Boston’s comeback attempt. New Orleans jumped all over the visitors with a 12-3 run over the next four minutes, which put the C’s away for good.
ONE UP
Jayson Tatum:
The rookie was a major bright spot amid a disappointing offensive performance for the C’s. He attacked with composure around the rim, absorbing contact on multiple drives and finishing layups anyway. His team-high 23 points (9-of-14 FG) was the best scoring output for him since a career-high 27 points against the Hawks on February 2nd. He has now scored in double figures in six of his last seven games
Sheeeesh Rook ?? pic.twitter.com/XdgBsJFidU
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 18, 2018
TWO DOWN
Al Horford:
It’s unfair to ask him to contain Davis, but the All-Star did very little to the help the Celtics on both ends of the floor in this contest. He finished with a meager box score line (6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists in 27 minutes) and that’s not going to cut it on a night that this team is without its top two scorers in Irving and Brown. Horford had shown some signs of breaking out of his slump before his flu bug hit last week. This performance was a step back in the wrong direction.
Greg Monroe’s defense:
The Celtics don’t have a lot of scoring options right now, which means Monroe’s offensive ability and rebounding are important parts of Brad Stevens’ gameplan. However, against a team that plays a lot of small-ball like New Orleans, Monroe’s defense was a huge liability. He was a team-worst -25 in 26 minutes despite having a productive night on offense (12 points). He’s a nice weapon to have for the right matchups, but against Davis and a bunch of stretch bigs in the New Orleans frontcourt, there was nowhere to hide him.
TOP PLAY
MOOOOOOOOOOSE pic.twitter.com/E7VAukrAiJ
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 18, 2018
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
It might be time for Brad Stevens to go even deeper into his bench:
He’s almost there right now with Semi Ojeleye and Abdel Nader, but both of those guys continued to have problems on both ends Sunday night. Ojeleye refuses to shoot the ball on most occasions since the All-Star break and that’s a problem when he’s on the floor with other non-offensive threats like Nader. Beyond the free throw attempts, this was another bad night for the 24-year-old rookie, who struggles to finish at the rim and commits foolish fouls. I know Stevens is trying to keep the confidence up for both players, but if no roster chances are going to be made, this was a night where some others (Guerschon Yabusele, Kadeem Allen) deserved a look before garbage time.
It’s crazy to think how good Davis could be with shooters around him:
The Pelicans are somehow 10 games over .500 despite having a very underwhelming supporting cast to put around the All-Star big man. The Celtics threw all kinds of extra help at him over the course of the night and it didn’t matter much. New Orleans is an average 3-point shooting team, so the thought of him being surrounded by elite talent on the perimeter would turn said team into an absolute monster. That’s why you’ll continue to hear trade rumblings involving him each offseason for the remainder of his contract. He’s just that good.