Recap: Celtics Fourth Quarter Rally Falls Short, Lose to Pelicans 115-109
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Zion Williamson scored 28 points to lead five players in double figures as the New Orleans Pelicans held off a late Boston rally to beat the Celtics 115-109.
Brandon Ingram contributed 25 points including a big jumper with 33.1 seconds left. Nickel Alexander-Walker had 17 points and Josh Hart added 15 off the bench as the Pelicans reserves scored 28 points.
The Celtics played without All-Star Jaylen Brown, who was scratched with a hip flexor injury. They were led by Jayson Tatum's game-high 34 points. Kemba Walker had 23 and Marcus Smart had 15 points before being ejected in the final minute disputing a missed foul call. Evan Fournier made his Celtics debut but went scoreless going 0-10 from the field (0-5 from the three-point line).
Tatum scored 16 first-quarter points but New Orleans used 10 points from Williamson and 8 points from Hart to take a 32-27 lead after one. The Pels kept the Celtics at bay in the second as Kira Lewis J.r hit three three-point shots and Hart hit two as New Orleans took a 64-55 lead into the locker room.
Boston cut the halftime lead to 4 at 64-60 on a Marcus Smart 5 point run. The score stayed close as both teams traded baskets. With a score of 74-72 Pelicans, Jayson Tatum was charged with a flagrant foul against Brandon Ingram.
Ingram made the two free throws and on the next two possessions, Williamson made two layups to push the lead to 80-72. Ingram then made a three-point shot and a dunk to make the score 85-76 with 3:11 left in the third quarter and New Orleans ended the period with a 88-81 lead.
The lead grew to 100-84 on an Eric Bledsoe free throw with 7:40 left. New Orleans then sandwiched three-pointers by Bledsoe and Nickel Alexander-Walker around two Tatum free throws to make the score 106-89 with 5 minutes to go. The Celtics went on a 20-7 run to bring the score to 114-109 with 16.4 seconds left. Williamson was fouled after a Walker basket and made one of two free throws for the final score.
It was a tough loss in the end after a late-game push gave Celtics fans hope. They’ll have a chance to redeem themselves at TD Garden when they take on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, March 31 at 7:30 PM EST on ESPN.
