On the heels of getting swept in a two-tilt mini-series against the Hawks, the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Pelicans wasn’t comforting for those hoping to see the Celtics lock in again.
Boston surrendered 37 points in the opening frame, including 18 in the paint.
New Orleans, playing with more energy and physicality, also built a 10-0 edge in fast-break scoring.
But after that, the Crescent City visitors dialed in defensively, limiting the hosts to 55 points in the final 36 minutes.
That includes holding the Pelicans to 11 points on 17.4 percent shooting in the third quarter.
After their 104-92 win, in which it took a Derrick White halftime buzzer-beater from 32 feet to give the Celtics their first lead of the matchup, Jrue Holiday discussed his team’s counterstrike after New Orleans threw the first punch.
“I think we were just responding,” stated the former UCLA Bruin.
“They came out very strong in the first quarter. Very physical, playing great defense, and kind of getting out in transition, had us turning the ball over, so (we) just wanted to elevate our play and kind of match their energy.”
The two-time All-Star also saw the benefit of Boston getting challenged to elevate their performance against a Pelicans opponent that’s 1.5 games from overtaking the Los Angeles Clippers for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs and half-a-game from falling behind the sixth-seeded Dallas Mavericks, who are 9-1 in their last ten tilts.
“I think sometimes you need to get punched in the mouth,” voiced Holiday.
“Playing these games, sometimes, it just happens, right? But a game like this, with a team like that, where early, they can get it going, hard to stop in transition, high flyers, a lot of three-point shooting; it could’ve gotten out of control, but I’m glad we got it under control.”
