After losing to the Hawks in a two-game miniseries, the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Pelicans wasn’t encouraging for
fans expecting the Celtics to settle into a rhythm once more.
In the first quarter, Boston gave up 37 points, 18 of which came in the paint. Playing with greater vigor and aggression, New Orleans
also established a 10-0 lead in fast-break points.
However, the visitors from Crescent City tightened up their defense after that, allowing the hosts to score just 55 points in the last 36
minutes. During the third quarter, the Pelicans were limited to 11 points on 17.4% shooting from the field.
Jrue Holiday talked on his team’s counterstrike after his team defeated New Orleans 104–92. The Celtics’ first lead in the game came
from a Derrick White halftime buzzer-beater from 32 feet.
“I believe we were merely reacting,” the former Bruin from UCLA said. “They started the first quarter off really well. We were turning
the ball over because they were very physical, played excellent defense, and sort of got out in transition. So, we just wanted to step up
and kind of match their intensity.”
The two-time All-Star also recognized the advantages of Boston being forced to improve their play against a Pelicans team that is only
1.5 games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the first-round home-court advantage.
Holiday said, “I think you need to get punched in the mouth sometimes.” “Sometimes, it simply occurs when you play these games,
right? However, a game like this, against a team like that, where they can get hot early on, be difficult to stop in transition, have a lot of
three-point shooters, and so on, could have easily gotten out of hand, so I’m glad we were able to keep it under control.”
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