Game ID: 22301074
Boston Celtics @ New Orleans Pelicans
Saturday, March 30, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET
Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
NOP 37 20 11 24 92BOS 28 31 24 21 104
BOS @ NOP ScoutingBOS @ NOP Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
NOP availability going into 3/22 · back-to-backOUT Daniels missed 17 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Hawkins back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (32% of 17)
BACK Ryan back 3/13 after 2, 5 min since (38% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restOUT Daniels missed 18 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ryan back 3/21 after 3, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NOP availability going into 3/26 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 2 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Daniels missed 19 since 2/10, out tonight
BACK Ryan back 3/21 after 3, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NEW Alvarado 18 to 24 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 3/28 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 3 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Daniels missed 20 since 2/10, out tonight
OUT Ryan missed 2 since 3/24, returns tonight: 5 min (40% of 14)
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 4 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Daniels missed 21 since 2/10, returns tonight: 11 min (50% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/21 after 3, 5 min since (35% of 14)
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 25 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/01 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 5 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 2 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 11 min since (50% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 6 min since (46% of 14)
NEW Jones 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Nance Jr. 20 to 26 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 6 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 3 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 18 min since (84% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 6 min since (46% of 14)
NEW McCollum 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Williamson 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 36 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 7 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 4 since 3/28, out tonight
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 19 min since (89% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 4 min since (31% of 14)
NEW McCollum 33 to 40 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 31 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 37 min over the last 5
NOP availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restOUT Ingram missed 8 since 3/22, out tonight
OUT Alvarado missed 5 since 3/28, returns tonight: 22 min (122% of 18)
BACK Daniels back 3/30 after 21, 24 min since (110% of 22)
BACK Ryan back 3/28 after 2, 6 min since (43% of 14)
NEW McCollum 33 to 39 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 31 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Murphy III 30 to 36 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Hauser missed 2 since 3/18, returns tonight: 24 min (116% of 21)
OUT Queta missed 2 since 3/18, returns tonight: 3 min (25% of 11)
BACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 25 min since (85% of 29)
BACK Tillman back 3/12 after 2, 18 min since (148% of 12)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 17 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/23 · back-to-backOUT Holiday missed 3 since 3/18, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 25 min since (87% of 29)
BACK Hauser back 3/22 after 2, 24 min since (116% of 21)
BACK Queta back 3/17 after 2, 6 min since (50% of 11)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 18 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/25 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 4 since 3/18, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 25 min since (87% of 29)
BACK Hauser back 3/22 after 2, 28 min since (136% of 21)
BACK Queta back 3/17 after 2, 6 min since (50% of 11)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Kornet 15 to 21 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 21 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/28 · 2 days' restOUT Holiday missed 5 since 3/18, returns tonight: 36 min (108% of 34)
OUT Queta missed 2 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 3/18 after 5, 27 min since (94% of 29)
BACK Hauser back 3/22 after 2, 28 min since (134% of 21)
NEW Horford 28 to 35 min over the last 3
NEW Pritchard 22 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 16 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 3/30 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 3 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 3/28 after 5, 36 min since (108% of 34)
BACK Hauser back 3/22 after 2, 26 min since (128% of 21)
NEW Horford 28 to 35 min over the last 3
NEW Pritchard 22 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Brissett 10 to 16 min over the last 3
BOS availability going into 4/01 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 4 since 3/23, out tonight
OUT Brissett missed 2 since 3/28, returns tonight: 13 min (126% of 10)
BACK Holiday back 3/28 after 5, 36 min since (106% of 34)
BACK Hauser back 3/22 after 2, 24 min since (115% of 21)
NEW Pritchard 22 to 27 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 4/03 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 5 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 3/28 after 5, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Brissett back 4/01 after 2, 13 min since (126% of 10)
NEW Porziņģis 29 to 34 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 4/05 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 6 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 3/28 after 5, 33 min since (99% of 34)
BACK Brissett back 4/01 after 2, 8 min since (80% of 10)
BOS availability going into 4/07 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 7 since 3/23, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 3/28 after 5, 33 min since (97% of 34)
BACK Brissett back 4/01 after 2, 8 min since (74% of 10)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; McCollum at 24 and Williamson at 23 a game. Without Ingram (4 straight), Daniels (21 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the defense, New Orleans allowing 106 a night to Boston's 115. Call it New Orleans 115, Boston 114, Boston keeping it close.
3/22 @ MIA 111-88 — NOP notes
NOP won 111-88. NOP shot 51% (42 of 82) to MIA's 36%, 18 of 36 from three. NOP turned it over 12 times to MIA's 4. The glass went 56-34 for them. McCollum led with 30 (12 of 21, 6 of 12 from three); Alvarado added 17, Murphy III 14. The hinge was Q4, 35-22: a lead of 10 became 23, and the lead reached 26. Alvarado was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
3/24 @ DET 114-101 — NOP notes
NOP won 114-101. NOP shot 51% (41 of 81) to DET's 41%, 11 of 34 from three. NOP turned it over 10 times to DET's 16. Williamson led with 36 (13 of 14, 10 of 14 at the line); McCollum added 23, Marshall 14. The hinge was Q1, 29-10: from level to 19 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Williamson was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
3/26 vs OKC 112-119 — NOP notes
NOP lost 112-119. NOP shot 45% (39 of 86) to OKC's 53%, 14 of 38 from three, and went to the line 23 times to OKC's 14 — 20 points from the stripe to their 12. Williamson led with 29 (10 of 17, 9 of 10 at the line); McCollum added 23, Murphy III 16. Q3 was theirs, 32-23, the deficit cut from 15 to 6, but the other 3 periods went 96-80 against them. Jones's -21 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/28 vs MIL 107-100 — NOP notes
NOP won 107-100. NOP shot 40% (36 of 91) to MIL's 46%, 8 of 32 from three, and went to the line 34 times to MIL's 19 — 27 points from the stripe to their 10. NOP turned it over 6 times to MIL's 14. Williamson led with 28 (9 of 15, 10 of 16 at the line); McCollum added 25, Valančiūnas 17. The hinge was Q2, 35-20: a lead of 1 became 16. McCollum was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
3/30 vs BOS 92-104 — NOP notes
NOP lost 92-104. NOP shot 40% (34 of 86) to BOS's 48%, 13 of 35 from three, and went to the line 18 times to BOS's 12 — 11 points from the stripe to their 11. The glass went 41-51 against them. Williamson led with 25 (9 of 17, 7 of 14 at the line); McCollum added 24, Jones 18. Q1 was theirs, 37-28, but the other 3 periods went 76-55 against them. They led by as many as 11. Nance Jr.'s -11 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
4/01 vs PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 102, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; McCollum at 25 and Williamson at 24 a game. Without Ingram (5 straight), Alvarado (2 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 15 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Durant at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 24 free throws a game to Phoenix's 15 and the arc, Phoenix at 43 percent from three to New Orleans's 37. Call it New Orleans 113, Phoenix 109, Phoenix keeping it close.
4/03 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 110, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Williamson at 30 and McCollum at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Ingram (6 straight), Alvarado (3 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 100, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Banchero at 18 and F. Wagner at 16 a game. One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Orlando giving it away 13 times a game to New Orleans's 9 and the defense, Orlando allowing 100 a night to New Orleans's 110. Call it New Orleans 109, Orlando 107, Orlando keeping it close.
4/05 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 113, shooting 44 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Williamson at 25 and McCollum at 25 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Ingram (7 straight), Alvarado (4 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 28 and Vassell at 27 a game. Without Johnson (2 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: New Orleans wins, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-1 a night and New Orleans minus-6 and the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 14 times a game to New Orleans's 9. Call it New Orleans 115, San Antonio 111, San Antonio keeping it close.
4/07 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Booker at 27 and Durant at 26 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 111, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; McCollum at 26 and Williamson at 24 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Ingram (8 straight), Alvarado (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-7 a night and New Orleans minus-3 and the arc, Phoenix at 41 percent from three to New Orleans's 35. Call it Phoenix 113, New Orleans 109, New Orleans keeping it close.
3/22 @ DET 129-102 — BOS notes
BOS won 129-102. BOS shot 53% (47 of 89) to DET's 51%, 16 of 45 from three, and went to the line 27 times to DET's 13 — 19 points from the stripe to their 9. BOS turned it over 7 times to DET's 18. Brown led with 33 (13 of 19, 3 of 8 from three, 4 of 7 at the line); Pritchard added 20, White 19. The hinge was Q2, 37-19: BOS came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 16, and the lead reached 27. White was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
3/23 @ CHI 124-113 — BOS notes
BOS won 124-113. BOS shot 51% (44 of 86) to CHI's 57%, 21 of 48 from three, and went to the line 17 times to CHI's 11 — 15 points from the stripe to their 10. BOS turned it over 12 times to CHI's 7. The glass went 41-29 for them. Tatum led with 26 (8 of 20, 2 of 7 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Hauser added 23, Horford 23. The hinge was Q4, 29-21: a lead of 3 became 11. Pritchard was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
3/25 @ ATL 118-120 — BOS notes
BOS lost 118-120. BOS took 8 more shots (95 to 87), fed by 12 offensive rebounds, but shot 49% to ATL's 53%, 11 of 38 from three. BOS turned it over 7 times to ATL's 13. Tatum led with 37 (13 of 26, 2 of 7 from three, 9 of 11 at the line); Brown added 24, Porziņģis 17. Q1 was theirs, 44-22, but the other 3 periods went 98-74 against them. They led by as many as 30. Porziņģis's -7 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/28 @ ATL 122-123 — BOS notes
BOS lost 122-123 in 1 overtime. BOS shot 48% (45 of 94) to ATL's 49%, 14 of 36 from three, and went to the line 21 times to ATL's 10 — 18 points from the stripe to their 6. The glass went 43-53 against them. Tatum led with 31 (9 of 22, 2 of 7 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); White added 22, Porziņģis 20. Q2 was theirs, 34-31, but the other 4 periods went 92-88 against them. Tatum's -11 in 45 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/30 @ NOP 104-92 — BOS notes
BOS won 104-92. BOS shot 48% (39 of 82) to NOP's 40%, 15 of 37 from three, and got to the line 12 times to NOP's 18. The glass went 51-41 for them. Tatum led with 23 (10 of 17, 3 of 6 from three); Porziņģis added 19, Brown 17. The hinge was Q3, 24-11: a lead of 2 became 15, and the lead reached 22. Porziņģis was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
4/01 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Bridges at 22 and Miller at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Tatum at 29 and Brown at 23 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 110 a night to Charlotte's 121 and the glass, where Boston has been minus-0 a night and Charlotte minus-6. Call it Boston 119, Charlotte 108, Boston by 11.
4/03 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Tatum at 28 and Brown at 20 a game. One day's rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Jal. Williams at 24 and Giddey at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Boston 118, OKC 113.
4/05 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Tatum at 28 and Porziņģis at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 41 from three, 18 free throws a game; Fox at 23 and Murray at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Boston 119, Sacramento 109, Boston by 10.
4/07 vs POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 104, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 17 free throws a game; Tatum at 24 and Porziņģis at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 111, shooting 44 percent and 31 from three, 14 free throws a game; Ayton at 24 and Banton at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Simons (7 straight), Sharpe (40 straight), Thybulle (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Portland giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 10 and the arc, Boston at 37 percent from three to Portland's 31. Call it Boston 117, Portland 103, Boston by 14.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
XT X. Tillman
NOPCM C. McCollum
DD D. Daniels
HJ H. Jones
JH J. Hawkins
JV J. Valančiūnas
LN L. Nance Jr.
MR M. Ryan
NM N. Marshall
TM T. Murphy III
VA Valanciunas
ZW Z. Williamson
BOS/NOP the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Tatum scores 23 as Celtics rebound from back-to-back losses with 104-92 win over Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS -- — Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and the Boston Celtics rebounded from back-to-back losses to Atlanta, pulling away in the third quarter for a 104-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots and Jaylen Brown scored 17 as the Celtics, who at 58-16 have the NBA’s best record, avoided what would have been their first three-game skid of the year.
Derrick White had 15 points and Jrue Holiday had 13 points, seven assists and eight rebounds.
Zion Williamson scored 25 for New Orleans and CJ McCollum added 24.
Porzingis said stopping the two-game skid — only the Celtics’ third losing streak of the season — was less important than simply playing well.
“Last year Denver lost four in a row at one point, and I think the team that won before that lost five in a row,” he said. “But winning is a nice habit for sure.”
Ahead 59-57 at halftime, Boston took control in the third quarter, limiting New Orleans to 11 points while Porzingis had two of his blocks. The Celtics went ahead 79-68 on Tatum’s 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the quarter and led by double digits the rest of the way, going up by 22 in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics took away open 3-point shots and funneled the Pelicans to the basket, where Porzingis was waiting.
“That has to be our identity defensively,” Porzingis said. “The guys (on the perimeter ) do everything up until that point, and when the opponent gets to the rim, they meet me. We played at a very high level.”
The Pelicans shot 4 of 23 in the third quarter and Williamson missed all five of his attempts, guarded primarily by the 6-foot-6 Brown. New Orleans did not score after Trey Murphy’s 3-pointer with 4:37 left, going 0 of 6 with three turnovers.
“Jaylen did a nice job of making it very difficult for him (Williamson),” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He still got his average on free throws, but we kept him out of transition, kept him out of the paint and the guys on the perimeter did a great job of showing help on Zion and making him give up the ball early.”
Williamson and Herb Jones each had 14 points in the first half, when New Orleans led by 11 points after Williamson’s steal and dunk sparked a 9-0 run.
“They definitely hit us first,” Mazzulla said. “Our guys did a great job keeping their poise and responding the way we know how to with our defense and our offensive execution.”
McCollum’s driving layup made it 34-23 late in the first quarter, but Boston chipped away in the second quarter, tying it at 44 on White’s tip-in of Brown’s miss.
White gave the Celtics their first lead when he hit a deep 3 as time expired in the first half, and they continued their run at the start of the third quarter.
“They upped their intensity and we didn’t match it,” Williamson said. “When we decided to match it, the game was kind of out of hand at that point.”
Brandon Ingram missed his fifth consecutive game for the Pelicans with a bone bruise in his left knee. New Orleans was trying to get 18 games above .500 for the first time since being 49-31 on April 12, 2009.
----
UP NEXT
Celtics: Visit Charlotte on Monday night to wrap up a six-game road swing.
Pelicans: Host Phoenix on Monday night in the fourth of six straight at home.