Celtics Depth on Display In Win Over Pelicans

Boston builds on its NBA-best record with its fourth straight win, setting the stage for a must-see matchup on Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets.

There will be nights when the Boston Celtics will need Grant Williams to be one of their top scorers. Other times, they’ll need Malcolm Brogdon’s perimeter defense to be more than just solid. And Al Horford’s shot will have to carry the team for a couple of minutes every now and then, too.

After all, that’s what good role players in the NBA do.

The Celtics players not named Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown have had varying shares of criticism this season. 

But with the second half of the regular season officially underway, it was only fitting that Boston found itself leaning on the much-maligned role players who got things off to a good start, while Brown and Tatum carried the day (again) in leading Boston to victory.

Getting others to step up early, is always a good thing for the Celtics.

It’s even more valuable when you consider they face Brooklyn on the second night of a back-to-back, on Thursday.

The Nets are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Beating them will have to be a collective effort on Boston’s part, the kind on display in Wednesday’s 125-114 win which adds to their league-best record of 30-12.

Aiding the Celtics’ cause was the injury-riddled Pelicans missing key players such as Zion Williamson (right hamstring strain), Brandon Ingram (left great toe injury) and Herb Jones (lower back bruise).

But rather than lean on Brown and Tatum who had 41 and 31 points, respectively, it was Al Horford’s shooting early on (he had 11 points in the first half) and the bench unit that set the tone on a night in which Boston’s control never seemed in doubt.

Going forward, it was the kind of first-rate performance Boston will need from its second unit as well as the starters surrounding Tatum and Brown, in order for the Celtics to stay atop the NBA standings as the team to beat. 

STARS

Jaylen Brown: Going to the basket; 3-pointers; mid-range, and pull-up jumpers; Jaylen Brown showed a little bit of everything against New Orleans which simply had no answer in slowing him down let alone containing him. He would lead all scorers with 41 points on 15-for-21 shooting from the field along with 12 rebounds.

C.J. McCollum: With no Zion Williamson or Bandon Ingram, a lot of the scoring load and leadership for the Pelicans has fallen on the shoulders of McCollum. He was the one player Boston could not contain, finishing with a team-high 38 points on an efficient 15-for-24 shooting from the field.

STUDS

Jayson Tatum: Boston’s backups had a really strong game, but Jayson Tatum still managed to put his imprint on the game with an array of clutch plays at both ends of the floor. For the game, Tatum had 31 points to go with 10 rebounds and four assists.

Malcolm Brogdon: For the second straight game, Boston got 20 or more points from a reserve. Against the Chicago Bulls, it was Grant Williams. Against the Pelicans, Malcolm Brogdon was leading the second-unit scoring surge before finishing with 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting.

DUDS

New Orleans’ frontline: No matter which end-of-the-floor shots were missed, the rebounds seemed to consistently wind up in the hands of the Celtics. Despite the Pelicans’ size in the frontcourt and overall length, Boston was the harder-playing team when it came to getting to loose balls. For the game, Boston outrebounded the Pelicans, 56-40.