Holiday, Celtics erase shaky start, defeat Pelicans 118-112

The Boston Celtics defeated the visiting New Orleans Pelicans Monday night, erasing a bumpy first half and securing a 118-112 victory. With the win, the Celtics move to 36-11 on the year.

Boston suffered an ugly loss to the Los Angeles Clippers over the weekend, and early against the Pelicans, it looked as though the Celtics might once again be headed for a big defeat. In the second half, however, Boston turned things around, with gutsy defense leading to effective offense. A massive 37-point fourth quarter helped the Celtics close the door on New Orleans, punctuating one of Boston’s most convincing wins of the season.

Here’s what went down during a 118-112 Celtics victory over the Pelicans.

Boston offense

Boston’s scoring effort was clunky early on. The team was once again without Kristaps Porzingis, and thanks to a cold shooting from deep, the Celtics struggled to score in the first few quarters. Boston’s shot selection was perfectly acceptable, but they could’t convert open looks into points.

This changed in the second half, however. Boston’s ability to settle down and make plays on defense opened up new opportunities for fast break points, and also disrupted New Orleans’ own defensive efforts. The Celtics ended the game with 27 assists and 15 points off of turnovers as a result.

Jrue Holiday in particular deserves a mention. He generated baskets for Boston when the offense otherwise wasn’t clicking, and logged all 20 of his points in the first three quarters of action. Sam Hauser and his 11 points off the bench were also big in keeping the Celtics afloat and helping launch a comeback.

Boston's defense

New Orleans gave the Celtics particular challenges defending the rim. Luke Kornet also missed the game for Boston, and with Zion Williamson patrolling the paint, the Pelicans had great success down low. Williamson chipped in 26 points for New Orleans. Brandon Ingram also had a big showing for the Pelicans. He scored 28 points to go with 7 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Pelicans appeared to run out of gas, especially as the Celtics turned up the heat defensively. Suddenly New Orleans struggled to make open 3-pointers, and had to worked harder to score at the cup.

Boston weathered the storm early and found its footing in a big way. New Orleans may have landed the first few punches, but the Celtics were the last ones standing thanks to stamina, poise, and an ability to re-group.

Looking ahead

The Celtics are in the midst of a seven-game homestand, the longest such of the season. But that doesn’t mean things will be easy for Boston.

The guys in green are back in action tomorrow night for the second night of a back to back. They are set to host the feisty Indiana Pacers, who are hoping to welcome All-Star Tyrese Haliburton back into the fold.

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Story originally appeared on Celtics Wire