Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum team for 72 as Celtics down Pelicans

Jaylen Brown produced game highs with 41 points and 12 rebounds to help the Boston Celtics stretch their winning streak to four games by beating the visiting New Orleans Pelicans, 125-114, Wednesday night, January 11 (Thursday, January 12, Manila time).

Brown made 15 of his 21 field-goal attempts and 8 of his 9 free throws.

Jayson Tatum added 31 points and 10 rebounds for Boston, which had a 50-33 rebounding edge. It was the 13th consecutive game that Tatum has scored at least 25 points.

Malcolm Brogdon came off the bench to score 20 for the Celtics, who have won their last six home games for a league-best 30-12 record.

CJ McCollum led the Pelicans with 38 points. He shot 6-for-12 from three-point range. Naji Marshall (18), Trey Murphy (15) and Jonas Valanciunas (13) also scored in double figures for New Orleans.

The Pelicans played without leading scorer Zion Williamson (hamstring), who is averaging 26.0 points per game. New Orleans was also without Brandon Ingram (toe) and Herbert Jones (back). Ingram is averaging 20.8 points per contest, and Jones is averaging 10.0 points per game.

Boston’s Robert Williams and Marcus Smart both missed the game with knee injuries.

The Pelicans were within 2 points, 72-70, following a McCollum jumper with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter, but Boston went on an 18-6 run to take a 90-76 lead with 3:45 left in the third. The Celtics had a 97-85 lead entering the fourth.

The Celtics led 35-32 after one quarter and scored the first 9 points of the second. Boston’s 44-32 advantage was its largest lead of the half.

The Pelicans’ scoring drought ended when Marshall made a three-pointer with 8:47 left in the quarter. That began a 12-4 run that trimmed Boston’s lead to 48-44. Boston led 64-58 at halftime.

Brown had 18 points and 10 rebounds in the first half. McCollum made 6 of his 7 three-point attempts in the first two quarters and led all scorers with 22 points in the half.

It was the second meeting between the teams this season. The Celtics won, 117-109, in New Orleans on November 19. – Rappler.com