Celtics soar over Pelicans 144-118 and tie franchise record for 3-point makes in a game
The Boston Celtics destroyed the New Orleans Pelicans from the 3-point line in order to clinch the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
BOSTON — The Boston Celtics came into their Friday night showdown against the New Orleans Pelicans with unfinished business. They failed to secure the second seed on Thursday night versus the New York Knicks and as a result, they came out firing at TD Garden to ensure they left the building with their playoff position cemented. They achieved just that and in emphatic fashion, as the C's hammered the Pels 144-118 to improve to 55-26.
Following the blowout win, the Celtics clinched their fifth straight Atlantic Division title, which is tied for their longest stretch of divisional dominance. Friday also marked the Celtics' tenth straight victory over the Pelicans, extending a head-to-head winning streak that was already a franchise record. To put it simply, Boston hasn't lost to New Orleans in a little over 5 years (since March 29, 2021).
The Celtics achieved this expected but significant win by blitzing the Pelicans at the 3-point line. Boston hit 29 triples, tying a franchise record and coming one shy of the NBA record. Celtics star Jaylen Brown finished with 23 points in 29 minutes while wing Sam Hauser torched the Pelicans with 24 points courtesy of 8 triples.
Rookie Jeremiah Fears led the now 26-55 Pelicans with a game-high 36 points and is just one game shy of playing every single game this season. There's now just one game left in the regular season for the Celtics. They host the Orlando Magic on Sunday afternoon in what could be a potential playoff preview.