By Eric Santos
On Sunday night, the New Orleans Pelicans took a 120-119 loss to the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics. Coming off a one-game suspension, Zion Williamson recorded 16 points, seven rebounds, and five steals against the Celtics.
Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray were the top options for New Orleans’ offense. Murphy registered a team-high 30 points and four assists, while Murray totaled 26 points and eight assists. The two combined for eleven three-pointers made on 57.9-percent shooting.
During postgame availability, head coach Willie Green praised Murphy for elevating his presence on the court.
“Trey is stepping up,” Green said. “He’s assuming a bigger role. It’s really good to see. We knew he had the ability to score at a higher clip and he’s doing that. He’s also defending, rebounding, sharing the ball.”
Jayson Tatum put up a game-high 38 points and eleven rebounds for the Celtics, just enough to counteract the team’s miscues from deep range. Boston’s 1-for-11 three-point slump in the first quarter allowed the Pelicans to take an early 11-point lead. The Celtics finished the night 13-for-44 from beyond the arc.
The match came down to two crucial plays. With seven seconds left in regulation and the Celtics leading by one point, Boston’s Derrick White was called for a five-second violation after failing to inbound the ball. CJ McCollum then drove to the basket for a potential Pelicans game-winner but missed the contested layup as time expired.
New Orleans now holds an 8-32 season record. They have gone 3-7 in their last ten games.
