Jayson Tatum hits last-second game-winner as Celtics survive vs. Pelicans
Jayson Tatum hit a buzzer-beating game-winner as the Celtics avoided a major upset in New Orleans, beating the Pelicans 118-116.
The Celtics are championship hopefuls. All the Pelicans are contending for is the No. 1 draft pick.
You wouldnât know it by watching either of their two meetings this season, both of which were decided in the final seconds.
After escaping with a one-point home win over New Orleans on Jan. 12, Boston needed a buzzer-beating game-winner by Jayson Tatum to take Fridayâs rematch 118-116 at the Smoothie King Center.
The 20-foot jumper with 0.1 seconds remaining capped a 27-point night for Tatum, who added 10 assists, six rebounds and one steal. Co-star Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 28 points â including a go-ahead field goal with 34 seconds left â with Derrick White adding 16. Kristaps Porzingis finished with 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, four blocks and three steals, and backup center Luke Kornet scored 11 off the bench, with seven of his points coming in the fourth quarter.
The shorthanded Pelicans got a monster game from Trey Murphy III, who dominated the Celticsâ defense with 40 points on 15-of-20 shooting, including 8-of-12 from 3-point range. Reserve guard Jose Alvarado added 20 points for New Orleans, which fell to 12-37 with the loss.
The 34-15 Celtics will visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday before heading to Cleveland on Tuesday to face the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers.
New Orleans trailed 22-21 when Dejounte Murray suffered a non-contact lower leg injury and had to be helped to the locker room. Murray, who scored 26 points and narrowly missed a triple-double in the teamsâ first meeting at TD Garden, did not return and was seen leaving the arena on crutches, according to NBC Sports Boston sideline reporter Abby Chin.
The Pelicans also were playing without oft-injured star Zion Williamson, who missed the game due to illness.
Despite those key absences, the underdog hosts led 34-31 at the end of one, powered by 16 first-quarter points from Murphy. That gap would have been wider had Sam Hauser not come out firing after a two-game absence. Inactive against Houston and Chicago as he nursed a hip injury, Hauser hit three of his first four 3-pointers in his return to action, with all three coming in the final 2:55 of the first quarter.
Brown was the Celticsâ engine to start the second quarter, scoring their first two field goals and assisting on their third (a Luke Kornet dunk). Those points pushed the newly announced Eastern Conference All-Star over 11,000 for his career, making him just the 15th Boston player to reach that milestone. The others: 12 retired numbers, Antoine Walker and Tatum.
Tatum, who played the entire opening quarter for the second straight game, checked back in midway through the second and immediately drilled back-to-back threes. He missed his next attempt, but Porzingis corralled the ball and fed White for a layup to cap a 14-4 Celtics run.
White was the catalyst of another Boston rally shortly before halftime. The gritty guard picked Murphyâs pocket on consecutive Pelicans possessions, leading to a pair of fast-break layups, then hit a three off an assist from Jrue Holiday. Tatum added his third triple of the quarter moments later to put the Celtics up 59-50. They took a six-point lead into the locker room.
Porzingis scored just seven first-half points â quiet by his recent standards, considering he came in averaging nearly 10 first-quarter points since the start of January â but registered four assists, three steals and two blocks. As a team, the Celtics assisted on 20 of their 23 made baskets before halftime, with all five starters dishing out at least three.
But the pesky Pels hung around. Bostonâs lead never hit double digits, and it couldnât find a solution for Murphy, who crossed the 30-point mark with 18 minutes left to play. The lanky wingâs contested, step-back corner three over Whiteâs outstretched arms put New Orleans ahead, 77-75.
Brown responded by scoring eight points in a three-possession span (back-to-back threes followed by a midrange jumper), but the Pelicans matched each of his makes with one of their own. Brown also was whistled for a technical foul during that stretch for arguing a suspect offensive foul call.
A Payton Pritchard three â the first points of the night for the NBAâs top bench scorer â broke a tie with 1:03 remaining in the third, and subsequent Tatum free throws made it 91-86 entering the fourth.
The Celtics leaned on their bigs to start the final frame, getting seven points from Kornet, six from Porzingis and two from Al Horford before any other Boston player scored. A blow-by dunk by Tatum against Brandon Boston put the Celtics up seven, but the Pelicans again rallied, getting two quick buckets to cut it to two.
A string of costly misfires â including a missed layup, a missed free throw and a missed three by Tatum â prevented the Celtics from pressing their advantage, and New Orleans pulled even on a contested Murphy layup with 1:37 to play. Porzingis also missed two free throws after what looked like a botched goaltending call. Brownâs jumper gave the Celtics a late lead, but McCollum â who couldnât convert a would-be game-winning layup when the teams played in Boston â hit an equalizing floater with 24 seconds on the clock.
That set the stage for Tatumâs late winner, which rescued the Celtics from what would have been an infuriating loss. Boston missed six fourth-quarter free throws, all by Tatum, Brown and Porzingis, displaying some of the same crunch-time deficiencies that have hindered them since mid-December.
Off the rimâHappy Energy Is about To Shift day,â Brown posted on X on Friday afternoon, commemorating the third anniversary of the famous tweet he fired off on Jan. 31, 2022. At the time, the Ime Udoka Celtics were 26-25. Since that date, Boston is 220-86, with two NBA Finals appearances; the best offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating in the league; and more than 20 more wins than any other franchise.
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