What a game. Have to love these Sunday afternoon games on ABC. Always seems to deliver. This game seemed like it was going to be the opposite of exacting. The Celtics led at halftime by 16 and controlled most of the first half. The Celtics shut Zion down in the first half, only scoring four points. The Celtics started the third hot, taking a 24 point lead with a little over six minutes left in the third. Then things got wild.
=The Pelicans made a small run in the third quarter to get themselves within striking distance. The Celtics led by 13 going into the fourth and were still in control. So it seemed at least.
Things changed real quick. The Pelicans cut the lead to five 8:02 left. Then with four minutes left, Brandon Ingram tied the game up.
Then Nicolo Melli gave the Pelicans the lead with under three minutes left. The teams traded baskets back and forth. After a lackluster second half, Jayson Tatum came up big in the clutch. Giving the Celtics the lead with 10 seconds left.
The Pelicans finally gave the ball to Zion in the clutch and boom. Give him the ball every damn time in the clutch when down one.
That wasn’t the end, as Jayson Tatum his a cold blooded shot to give send the game to overtime.
After all of that, it was time for five more minutes of basketball. The Celtics really blew this one, getting outscored by 13 in the fourth quarter, but still had a chance. The game was tied with 39 seconds left and Ingram his a big time three to give the Pelicans the lead.
That three pretty much did it as the Pelicans completed their biggest comeback in franchise history. Zion and Ingram balled out but this was a full team effort. You had Ingram who finished with 33 and six rebounds, Zion with 28 and 10. But then Josh Hart and Lonzo Ball came up big. Playing excellent defense and hit some key shots.
On the Celtics end, they choked. Plain and simple. No excuse is good enough for this choke job. Kemba Walker couldn’t hit anything, shooting 1-12 from three. Tatum had 32 but shot 10-24, Jaylen Brown with 25 but again bad shooting, 7-23. This game was wild and is one to remember. The Celtics are now .500 or worse through 30 games for the first time in six years.
