Celtics Overpower Pelicans

Chrissy Smith • January 12, 2023

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The Boston Celtics proved again why they are the #1 team in the Eastern Conference on Wednesday, Jan. 11, as they defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 125-114.

CJ McCollum dropped a smooth 38 points but without Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson due to injuries, the Pelicans team was lacking the offense it needed to defeat a solid Celtics team. However, the Pels also struggled to control Jaylen Brown who scored 41 points and Jayson Tatum, who scored 31.

New Orleans head coach Willie Greene tried several different lineups, but none seem to work against the stacked Celtics squad, who was missing their number one defender, Marcus Smart.

A couple of bright spots for the Pelicans, besides McCollum was Naji Marshall, who is really making his presence known in the league. He scored 18 points and played 37 solid minutes in the Celtics game. Also, Trey Murphy, who has been struggling a bit offensively, seemed to come out of his slump, scoring 15 points, including two huge dunks.

Murphy also asked on Twitter following the game, "Just curious do you look at the ball or the rim when you shoot?"

Yours truly responded and said, "I was a three-point shooter in college and yeah I peeked at the rim."

The Pelicans will play another tough game on Friday at the Detroit Pistons at 6 pm.

Follow me on Twitter @SportsChrissy

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Pelicans @ Nuggets Takeaways

By Chrissy Smith • October 30, 2025

Team Stats (Pelicans at Nuggets) Final Score: 88-122 Rebounds: 36-57 Assists: 17-40 Steals: 9-5 Blocks: 3-5 Turnovers: 12-14 Stat Leaders Scoring Leaders: Jeremiah Fears, 21; Nikola Jokić, 21 Rebound Leaders: Trey Murphy III, 7; Nikola Jokić, 12 Assist Leaders: Jeremiah Fears, 6; Nikola Jokić, 10 My Player of the Game: Jeremiah Fears Chrissy's Key Takeaways * The starters for this game were Fears, Murphy III, Jones, Zion, and Deandre Jordan. So that was different, and it didn't work at all. * With most of the third quarter over, Zion had five total points in the game. He finished with 11. * The Nuggets went on a 32-4 run in the third quarter. The Pelicans came out very slow to start off the third. * New Orleans went 7-of-33 from the three-point line. * Nikola Jokić had a triple-double. The Pelicans had no answer for him all night. * Do the Pelicans know that the season has started because the majority of the guys out there look like they still think they're playing Summer League. * The problem with this team isn't the talent because they have that. So what's the problem? Coaching, effort, etc.? This has to be fixed ASAP. Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.

Celtics @ Pelicans Takeaways

By Chrissy Smith • October 28, 2025

Team Stats (Celtics at Pelicans) Final Score: 122-90 Rebounds: 54-35 Assists: 25-17 Steals: 5-7 Blocks: 7-0 Turnovers: 11-13 Stat Leaders Scoring Leaders: Anfernee Simons, 25; Jordan Poole, 22 Rebound Leaders: Neemias Queta, 11; Yves Miss, 7 Assist Leaders: Payton Prichard, 8; Trey Murphy, III, 5 My Player of the Game: Jordan Poole Chrissy's Key Takeaways * The first two losses of the season were tough but at least the team looked good. In this game, no one looked fired up to compete except Jordan Poole and Jose Alvarado. * Zion did not play because he's been spending all offseason getting in shape just so he could rest after two games. Makes no sense to me. * Trey Murphy and Herb Jones need to find their spark and stride. These guys have been putting in a ton of work in the offseason but it isn't showing right now. * Willie Green has got to be on a short leash because this 0-3 start feels like the team is just picking up where they left off except this time they're healthy and have all the momentum in the world. * The next three games for the Pelicans will be on the road against Denver, Clippers, and Thunder . Follow @TheKneaux on X, and follow me there too, @SportsChrissy.