Boston Celtics (55-26) beat New Orleans Pelicans (26-55) 144-118 at home on Friday, April 10. The final margin was 26 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Celtics struck first, taking the opening quarter 44-25 and a 19-point lead after one. The Celtics kept the pressure on with a 38-26 second quarter, carrying a 31-point lead into halftime.
The Celtics won the third 34-31 to create some separation, taking a 34-point lead into the fourth. The Pelicans took the fourth 36-28; the Celtics held on for a 144-118 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Celtics got more from their shots, finishing at 69.3% effective field-goal shooting compared with 50.5% for the Pelicans. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Pelicans did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 21.9 against 11.5. The Celtics made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 107 possessions per team, the Celtics produced 134.1 points per 100 possessions to 109.9 for the Pelicans.
The Celtics' reserves also made a difference, outscoring the opposing bench 57-44.
Who stood out
Derik Queen was the game's biggest individual force for NOP: 25 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast, 3 blk on 9-14 shooting. His Game Score of 25.6 led everyone. His team was -24 with him on the floor.
Sam Hauser led the Celtics with 24 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast on 8-13 shooting, good for a 21.1 Game Score.
Payton Pritchard (21 pts, 3 reb, 10 ast), Derik Queen (25 pts, 11 reb, 4 ast), and Josh Oduro (12 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Celtics about a 90% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Boston Celtics lead 3-0.
The Celtics are now 55-26, and the Pelicans are 26-55. The Celtics last five before this game: W-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.