The Boston Celtics kept their shooting display going on Friday night, overwhelming the New Orleans Pelicans 144-118 at TD Garden to lock up the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 playoff seed and the Atlantic Division title.
Boston matched the franchise and NBA record with 29 made 3-pointers, hitting from deep at a pace New Orleans could not absorb. Sam Hauser led the barrage with 24 points on eight 3s, while Jaylen Brown added 23 points in just 29 minutes before sitting out the fourth quarter.
Payton Pritchard added 21 points and 10 assists, giving Boston another high-level playmaking night in a game that turned into a track meet early. Neemias Queta also joined the long-range party, making the first 3 of his career and finishing with 10 rebounds.
Boston’s shooting burst started with Brown, who returned after missing Thursday’s loss at New York with left Achilles tendinitis. He scored 12 first-quarter points as the Celtics built a 22-point lead before the game had settled in.
The Celtics never looked back, leading by 41 at one point against a Pelicans team missing multiple rotation pieces. Boston did it without Jayson Tatum, who rested because he has not played back-to-back games since returning from Achilles surgery.
The 29 made 3s matched Boston’s total from Oct. 22, 2024 against the Knicks and also tied the NBA mark shared by the Memphis Grizzlies and Milwaukee Bucks. Eight Celtics players finished with at least two points, another sign of how deep the offense rolled.
New Orleans got strong scoring from Jeremiah Fears, who finished with 36 points, and Derik Queen, who had 25 points and 11 rebounds. Still, the Pelicans have now lost nine of their last 10 and will miss the playoffs for a second straight year.
The injury list did New Orleans no favors. Zion Williamson, Herb Jones, Saddiq Bey, Trey Murphy III and Dejounte Murray were all unavailable, leaving the Pelicans short-handed against a Celtics team that was sharp from the start.
Boston improved to 55-26 and continues to look like one of the most efficient shooting teams in the league. The Celtics now turn to Sunday’s home matchup with Orlando, while New Orleans visits Minnesota to finish its season.
