The Boston Celtics, currently leading the Eastern Conference with a record of 57-16, will face the New Orleans Pelicans in a non-conference game on Saturday at 5 pm EDT. The Pelicans, fifth in the Western Conference with a record of 45-28, have struggled in close games, going 1-6 in games with fewer than 4 points. In contrast, the Celtics have been successful on the road, winning 25 out of their 38 away games and ranking fifth in the Eastern Conference with an average of 15.5 fast break points per game.
One area where these two teams differ is their three-point shooting. The Pelicans are averaging just over 12 three-pointers per game this season, while the Celtics are giving up an average of only 13.4 three-pointers per game. On the other hand, the Celtics are averaging more than 16 three-pointers per game and rank third in the league for this category.
The last time these two teams met was on January 30th when the Celtics won 118-112. Key players to watch during this game include Jonas Valanciunas and Zion Williamson for the Pelicans and Derrick White and Sam Houser for the Celtics. Both teams have been performing well recently, with New Orleans going 7-3 in their last ten games and Boston going 8-2. Their offensive numbers have also been impressive, with New Orleans scoring an average of nearly 110 points over their last ten games and Boston scoring over 123 points per game over that same period.
Unfortunately for both teams, there are some injuries that could impact this matchup. Brandon Ingram and Jose Alvarado are out for New Orleans while Jaden Springer and Al Horford are out for Boston