Jayson Tatum hit a game-winning jumper with 0.2 seconds remaining in regulation, securing a 118-116 Celtics victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair all night with a undermanned Pelicans squad for Boston, but the team’s All-Stars came up big in the final minute. Jaylen Brown (28 points) put the visitors ahead first with 33 seconds remaining with a midrange jumper. After CJ McCollum tied the game on the ensuing possession, Tatum drilled the game winner, playing the clock perfectly by nailing the midrange jumper and leaving the Pelicans no time left to get a shot off.
The jumper capped off a gritty performance by the Pelicans despite missing three starters (Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Herbert Jones). New Orleans also lost Dejounte Murray to injury in the first quarter but Trey Murphy III made up for his absence with a game-high 40 points including eight made 3s.
The Celtics led by as many as nine points in the third quarter but the Pelicans kept chipping away behind some late shot making by Murphy III and McCollum before Tatum eventually put the game away late.
Brown led five different Celtics in double figures with 28 points while Tatum added a double-double with 27 points and 10 assists. The victory gives Boston two straight wins and improved their NBA leading road record to 17-6 on the season.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win in New Orleans:
Crunch time execution improves: It was a comedy of errors in the last few weeks in close games so it was refreshing to see the Celtics execute when they needed to in the final minute. Tatum delivered his second game-winner of the year after hit a buzzer-beater 3 against the Raptors back in November. Brown also found an easy look for himself in a tie game in the final minute. That shouldn’t earn this team too much accolades against a lottery team but it was a nice shift after nearly self combusting against this team earlier this month.
Interesting offense/defense choices late: With a fully healthy roster, Joe Mazzulla did some experimenting in the clutch, going offense/defense with Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford down the stretch. It wasn’t the best night for Horford by any means in his return from a toe injury but it’s evident he is the more trusted piece defensively by Joe Mazzulla at this point. Porzingis had a strong defensive night overall (three steals, four blocks) but his struggles defending on the perimeter can make him vulnerable against elite shooters.
Trey Murphy continues trend of guards going off against Boston: The Celtics have faced some impressive scoring nights all season long from opposing backcourts and Murphy’s stellar shooting adds another layer to that list. Unlike other recent hot streaks (Dillon Brooks), Murphy is a lethal 3-point shooter (38 percent career) and the Celtics still struggled to keep him from getting loose all night. Transition defense remains a concern for this group in terms of locating shooters and it was evident full defensive effort wasn’t intact all night long. With that said, Murphy had a few insane shots so it’s a good sign the Celtics were able to overcome some tough luck on that front.
Road domination continues: This season has been full of home letdowns all year long but the Celtics found a way on the road yet again to begin a three-game trip. The team is one of the few teams in the NBA now with a better road record (18-6) than home record (15-9) and that bodes well for a team that is likely going to have to win at least two series without homecourt advantage in order to repeat as champions.
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