Non-Conference Battle between Celtics and Pelicans: Boston’s Fast Break Skills Tested against New Orleans’ Impressive Offense

The Boston Celtics (57-16, first in the Eastern Conference) will face off against the New Orleans Pelicans (45-28, fifth in the Western Conference) in a non-conference matchup in New Orleans on Saturday at 5 p.m. EDT. The Pelicans have a strong record of 21-14 in home games but have struggled in close games, with a 1-6 record in games decided by less than 4 points. On the other hand, the Celtics have a 25-13 record on the road and are fifth in the Eastern Conference with 15.5 fast break points per game, led by Jaylen Brown who averages 4.4.

In contrast to their struggles with close games, both teams have been putting up impressive offensive numbers lately. The Pelicans average 110.3 points and the Celtics average 123.5 points in their last 10 games respectively. However, when it comes to made three-pointers per game, the Pelicans average only 0.6 fewer than what the Celtics give up (12.8 vs. 16.6). On the other hand, this is just slightly more than what they allow (13.4).

This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season, with the Celtics winning their previous encounter on January 30th with a final score of 118-112. Keep an eye out for top performers like Jonas Valanciunas and Zion Williamson for New Orleans and Derrick White and Sam Hauser for Boston during this matchup