February 21st - New Orleans Pelicans VS Boston Celtics - 12-17

[Pelicanidae]

Bring on Boston 💪

📺 ABC
📻 100.3 FM @ESPNRadioNOLA
📲 https://t.co/4bmEJzuiPI@SeatGeek | #WontBowDown pic.twitter.com/Amo8JjsdUI

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 21, 2021

Tonight we take on the 15-14 Boston Celtics.

The Celtics have been wracked by injury issues all year long, missing spans of time for Tatum, Brown, Smart, and Kemba; the end result is that their record is not as pretty as many expected it would be by this point in the year. Marcus Smart is still listed as out, due to a calf tear.

Not only is their record entirely middling, but their ratings are too: 14th in the league in both offense and defense, they therefore have the league's 12th best Net Rating.

They've been having a bit more trouble lately, going 3-5 over their last 8 games including Atlanta, Washington, and Detroit. This is not a team that is annihilating everything in its path: it's a team that's had real issues finding its identity this year, and suffering from the injury bug isn't helping, nor is a recent cold stretch from both Tatum and Brown - who have both been otherwise very good this year.

Hopefully we can bounce back a bit from that disastrous late game collapse against Phoenix to take advantage of a team that's not had its legs fully under it this season.

[6warddude]

this pelican team is wild....we have been the healthiest this season verses previously seasons but adding a new coach and system, no practices, short season and pandemic imo is hindering the team from putting it all together but we have been playing well on national tv lately so we just may win today in impressive fashion lol.......

[Pelicanidae]

this pelican team is wild....we have been the healthiest this season verses previously seasons but adding a new coach and system, no practices, short season and pandemic imo is hindering the team from putting it all together but we have been playing well on national tv lately so we just may win today in impressive fashion lol.......

This is kind of what I worry about with this team.

Most of our wins have come ''in impressive fashion''. We tend to either completely dominate a team bell-to-bell, or we get slaughtered, and the deciding factor basically seems to be whether or not we're shooting better than them on a given night. If we shoot well and they don't, we win in impressive fashion; the reverse, the reverse.

For once I'd like to see us just play a game where we're not relying on hot shooting to win: just winning a steady game where our defense is sound, or offense runs without becoming a mess for 6 minutes at a time, and we outplay the opponent.

Rare as hen's teeth for this team.

[luckyman]

Tatum has been shooting especially horribly over the entire month. Thats an 11 game sample. Talking 41% from the field and 33% from three. Over the last 5 games it's been 29% from three.

What does that mean? Today, against this team, in this friendly arena, behind the 3 pt line:

Tatum 7 - 11
Brown 9 - 12
Kemba let's go 5 - 10

And just for fun, lets give their rookie Peyton Pritchard a perfect 5 - 5.

#Pelslife early Sunday edition.

[Pelicanidae]

Tatum has been shooting especially horribly over the entire month. Thats an 11 game sample. Talking 41% from the field and 33% from three. Over the last 5 games it's been 29% from three.

What does that mean? Today, against this team, in this friendly arena, behind the 3 pt line:

Tatum 7 - 11
Brown 9 - 12
Kemba let's go 5 - 10

And just for fun, lets give their rookie Peyton Pritchard a perfect 5 - 5.

#Pelslife early Sunday edition.

You think just those 4 guys are gonna hit 26 threes?

You know what that means: overall NBA record 33 total threes incoming

[Taker597]

You think just those 4 guys are gonna hit 26 threes?

You know what that means: overall NBA record 33 total threes incoming

I'd be surprised if they don't try for atleast 45 3PA

[Pelicanidae]

I'd be surprised if they don't try for atleast 45 3PA

I'd be mildly surprised but not very. They average about 22 3PAs per game at the moment, so I would expect at least 30 since it's us, probably more like 35. 45 would be a surprise, but it depends on how they start honestly. If they shoot 8/12 in the first quarter then yeah, you better believe 40 threes total by the end.

[Pelicanidae]

Well that's certainly a way to start

[Pelicanidae]

Bold prediction: if we shoot 83% all game, we'll win.

[Taker597]

Celtics really did just try start the game from the 3pt line. Teams aren't even hiding it anymore or wait for the 2nd quarter to feel out their open spots.

[As I See It]

Yeah, I think we can get a couple of # 2 Draft picks for Lonzo. SMH

[Pelicanidae]

They are really just homing in on the triple team right now and it's giving Zion a lot of trouble with his operating space. Interesting to see if we do anything to adjust for that.

[Pelicanidae]

Zion's improved a lot on D over the last month or so but putting him in single coverage on Kemba is very very silly

[As I See It]

Just an observation...

When we started the game Lonzo handled the ball with success.

Now Zion is running point.....

[Funcrusher]

Zion's improved a lot on D over the last month or so but putting him in single coverage on Kemba is very very silly

I know, but I miss the Duke Zion that would've done a much better job sliding his feet

[DaFranchise80]

Ingram is trying to force things AGAIN.

[All Metro]

Ingram is trying to force things AGAIN.

yep

[As I See It]

Ingram is trying to force things AGAIN.

...as was # 1,

[DaFranchise80]

Great block by Hayes to end the quarter.

[Pelicanidae]

Just as a note, cause it's a constant problem but there were bout three of these in that first quarter, every time Josh Hart gets a wide open three and decides to just kind of wait... then look around... then dribble a bit... rather than just fire it, he owes whoever passed him it $50.

[As I See It]

We're winning (or is it losing) the turnover battle 5 - 0 through first quarter.

[6warddude]

Great block by Hayes to end the quarter.

the reason i want hayes tp play PF next to a big so he can rim protect without having a center blocking him out.....he can roam at PF and be able to rim protect...

[Funcrusher]

Just as a note, cause it's a constant problem but there were bout three of these in that first quarter, every time Josh Hart gets a wide open three and decides to just kind of wait... then look around... then dribble a bit... rather than just fire it, he owes whoever passed him it $50.

He's playing amazing D on Tatum though. Not to discount your point, but just wanted to point that out.

[Chavan30]

The Celtics on a 33-17 run. We are horrrible at stopping runs...

[Funcrusher]

Kira didn't need to throw such a hot potato there