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