The lowly New Orleans Pelicans will travel to TD Garden to take on the reigning NBA champions, the Boston Celtics, on Monday morning.
The Celts (27-11) are in second place in the Eastern Conference behind the surging Cavaliers, while the Pels are rock bottom in the Western Conference standings.
Match preview
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The Boston Celtics have been performing below the standard we have come to expect recently and have split their last 10 games five wins and five losses following a 114-97 defeat to the Sacramento Kings at home on Saturday.
Jalen Brown led the Celts with 28 points and five assists, Kristaps Porzingis contributed 20 points and 10 assists, and Jayson Tatum added 15 points and 12 rebounds, but no other Boston player managed to get into double-digits.
The champs coughed up 15 turnovers which led to their opponents having as many as 18 more field goal attempts for the game, and the Kings made it count in the final quarter, outscoring the C's 38-21 to run away with the result.
In his post-match press conference, Joe Mazzulla said that the team's inefficient offence put pressure on their defence, and explained that he did not think the result was due to a lack of effort, adding that it is a short-term problem they intend to address immediately.
Despite the loss, the Celtics are still a top-10 team on both ends this season, averaging 117.9 points per game (fifth in the league), while allowing 108.4 PPG on the defensive end (sixth overall).
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Meanwhile, the Pelicans have been the worst in the West this season with just eight wins in 39, but they will be feeling a lot better after beating the Philadelphia 76ers 123-115 on the road on Friday.
CJ McCollum delivered a standout performance, putting up 38 points and three assists, Jordan Hawkins added 21 points and two assists, while New Orleans' bench combined for very impressive 36 points.
Zion Williamson, who only just returned to the court from an injury absence earlier this week, was suspended for the match against the Sixers for violating team policies as he was late for the team's flight to Philadelphia.
Williamson has only featured in seven matches this season and has a 44.6% game participation rate in his sixth year in the NBA, and there are widespread rumours that the Pels and the player are ready to part ways.
New Orleans currently rank 27th in the scoring charts, averaging just 107.4 points per game, while on the defensive end, they are 25th, allowing 117.1 PPG to date.
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Team News
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Derrick White was listed as an injury doubt ahead of the Celtics loss to the Kings, but the guard was cleared fit ahead of tip-off, got 27 minutes in the game, and should be fine to start on Monday.
Jordan Walsh was forced to sit out the last match due to illness, Drew Peterson missed out with a concussion and Baylor Scheierman is on G League assignment. All three are unlikely to feature against the Pelicans.
The ban for Williamson was only for one match, meaning he will be eligible to return for the trip to Boston, but it will be interesting to see if Willie Green opts to bring him back into the team.
The Pels were dealt another injury blow last week, with Herb Jones being diagnosed with a posterior labrum tear in his right shoulder, which will keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Boston Celtics possible starting five:
Brown, Tatum, Porzingis, Holiday, White
New Orleans Pelicans possible starting five:
Hawkins, Murray, Missi, McCollum, Williamson
We say: Boston Celtics to win by 7+ points
While the Boston Celtics have not been at their very best this season, this should be a match they dominate given how poor their opponents have been this term.
The Pelicans have been ravaged by injuries and are 3-15 on the road. We feel the hosts will get a big win in this one.
Devesh Jaganath
