Celtics Vs Pelicans Review
The Celtics finally get into the win column with a dominant victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans were without star power forward Zion Williamson, and they made easy work of this.
In the first quarter, the Celtics jumped out to an early lead, playing complementary basketball. The offense was gelling much better, there was more ball movement, and the defense was able to slow down a struggling offense .
The second quarter was much of the same, with the offense featuring everyone, as well as getting second-chance points. Neemias Queta grabbed 4 of the 8 offensive rebounds in the quarter, which led to 7 second-chance points. On the defensive side of things, they more than held their own but kept the Pelicans in the game due to foul trouble. The Celtics committed 11 fouls, which led to 13 free throw attempts, keeping a struggling New Orleans team in the game.
The third quarter was the worst of the game, with the offense only scoring 22 points. With a considerably worse roster than in previous year's, a dry spell could spell doom for this Celtics team. But in the fourth quarter, the bench unit took over.
They outscored the Pelicans 35-12, with the bench scoring 27 of the 35 points to close out the game. Defensively, they held the Pelicans to 3/19 shooting, their lowest of the season. With a 32-point victory, the Celtics finally get into the win column, putting them at 1-3 on the season.
The good
The Celtics were able to blow out a bad team and get their first win. More than anything, this was a confidence booster for the team going forward. Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons were both excellent, combining for 43 points. Simons so far has added some much-needed scoring to an otherwise thin bench unit.
Neemias Queta made a huge impact in the game, despite the low point total. Queta recorded 4 blocks and 7 offensive rebounds, giving the team a true interior presence. Josh Minott got his first start of the season and did not disappoint, going 6/9 with 15 points along with 9 rebounds.
This was an extremely balanced offensive game, with 6 different players scoring 10 or more points. This was made even more impressive because Jaylen Brown took just 9 shots. The team's best player was a non-factor for three quarters, and it didn't matter.
Coming into the game, the Celtics were getting crushed on the glass, allowing consistent offensive rebounds and second-chance points. In this game, however, the Celtics were the ones who dominated on the boards, recording 16 offensive rebounds for 23 second-chance points.
The bad
There were very few negatives to take away from this game, but one worth noting is Derrick White continuing his offensive struggles, scoring just 11 points on 35% from the floor. So far, White is shooting 33/25 splits and has consistently hurt the offense.
Conclusion
This was a team performance on both sides of the ball throughout and gives some hope for the rest of the season. The Celtics will now head home to take on a top Eastern Conference opponent in the Cavaliers and will be a big test of how good this roster truly is.