NBA
Marcus Morris has Season-High 31, Celtics Down Pelicans 113-100
The Boston Celtics defended the garden last night against the New Orleans Pelicans. Marcus Morris led the way for the Celtics, scoring 31 points in the Celtics 113-100 win over the Pelicans. This is Boston’s second meeting with New Orleans, and this time they got the better of them.
The Celtics were without all three of their all-stars. Kyrie Irving was out with a shoulder injury that could keep him out longer. However, just like last season when the Celtics suffer devastating injuries, they seem to get better.
The first half felt like the Jayson Tatum show. He would lead the offense to a lead over the Pelicans by halftime. Tatum would end the game with 21 points.
Defense Playing Together and For Each Other
It is no secret that Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis dropped 41 on the Celtics. His frontcourt teammate Julius Randle had 20 of his own. However, the stellar defense against the Pelicans perimeter players was there. This is the game plan that Brad Stevens planned the whole time. Davis is going to get his points, and you can’t stop him. As long as you can contain his teammates, then you’ll be fine.
Lastly, it is important to point out Jaylen Brown’s 19 points. Brown has been playing incredible since coming back from that back injury. His play has been an energizer for the Celtics bench. If he continues to come off the bench then the Celtics will have a Manu Ginobili/Andre Iguodala presence in their lineup.
Player of the Game: Marcus Morris
His shot making was big for a team lacking there stars. This is a testament to how good the rest of the Celtics are at stepping up when their teammates go down. There isn’t another team in the NBA who plays for each other like Boston does.
Looking Forward to the Next Game
The Celtics and the Washington Wizards meet for the first time this season in Washington. This has been one of the biggest rivalries in the entire league for the past few seasons. There’s no telling which team will pull out the win, but it is a promise that this will be prime-time television.
Photo Credit
James Anderson via Flickr
