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Celtics withstand return of Zion Williamson and beat Pelicans 120-119
BOSTON (AP) Jayson Tatum scored 38 points with 11 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points and 11 boards on Sunday as the Boston Celtics overcame the return of Zion Williamson to the New Orleans lineup and beat the Pelicans 120-119.
Trey Murphy III scored 30 points and Williamson scored 16 in his return from a one-game suspension for being late to team activities. The 2019 draft lottery prize also had seven rebounds in 28 minutes.
New Orleans led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter, taking advantage when the Celtics made just one of their first 11 3-point attempts. Boston finished 13 for 44 from long distance and shot just 43.6% overall from the floor.
Pelicans: The Pelicans can be competitive with Williamson on the floor, but injuries and a one-game suspension have limited him to just eight of the team’s first 40 games.
Celtics: The defending NBA champions avoided a loss to one of the NBA's worst teams and improved to 7-6 in their last 13 games.
With seven seconds left, Boston had the ball with a one-point lead. Derrick White wasn't able to inbound the ball; he tried to call a timeout but was whistled for a 5 second violation. The Pelicans got the ball to McCollum, who drove to the basket but missed the contested layup and the rebound was swatted away as time expired.
Dejounte Murray scored 17 points in the first two quarters minutes and finished with 26 points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists.
The Pelicans visit the Bulls on Tuesday and the Celtics are at Toronto on Wednesday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Yves Missi vs. Kristaps Porzingis (Derrick White gains possession) | ||
| 11:45 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:42 | | Derrick White offensive rebound | ||
| 11:41 | | Derrick White turnover (bad pass) (Zion Williamson steals) | ||
| 11:33 |  | +3 | Dejounte Murray makes three point running jump shot (Trey Murphy III assists) | 3-0 |
| 11:21 | | Zion Williamson shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 11:21 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 3-1 |
| 11:21 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 3-2 |
| 11:11 | | Kristaps Porzingis shooting foul (Yves Missi draws the foul) | ||
| 11:11 | | +1 | Yves Missi makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 4-2 |
| 11:11 | | +1 | Yves Missi makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 5-2 |
| 10:50 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:49 | | Yves Missi defensive rebound | ||
| 10:45 | | Yves Missi turnover (lost ball) (Derrick White steals) | ||
| 10:39 | | Jrue Holiday misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:38 | | Jrue Holiday offensive rebound | ||
| 10:27 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:25 | | Derrick White offensive rebound | ||
| 10:24 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:23 | | Dejounte Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 10:06 | | +2 | Trey Murphy III makes two point driving layup (Yves Missi assists) | 7-2 |
| 9:51 | | Jaylen Brown misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:50 | | Pelicans defensive rebound | ||
| 9:36 | | CJ McCollum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:35 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 9:22 | | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 7-5 |
| 9:02 | | Yves Missi turnover (lost ball) (Jayson Tatum steals) | ||
| 8:49 | | Kristaps Porzingis turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 8:30 | | +2 | Dejounte Murray makes two point driving floating jump shot (CJ McCollum assists) | 9-5 |
| 8:06 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:06 | | CJ McCollum defensive rebound | ||
| 8:00 | | +3 | Trey Murphy III makes three point running jump shot (Dejounte Murray assists) | 12-5 |
| 7:38 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 12-7 |
| 7:38 | | Dejounte Murray personal foul (Loose ball) (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 7:38 | | +1 | Kristaps Porzingis makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 12-8 |
| 7:18 | | +3 | Javonte Green makes three point jump shot (Dejounte Murray assists) | 15-8 |
| 7:05 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:04 | | Kristaps Porzingis offensive rebound | ||
| 7:04 | | +2 | Kristaps Porzingis makes two point tip layup | 15-10 |
| 6:46 | | +3 | Dejounte Murray makes three point jump shot (Yves Missi assists) | 18-10 |
| 6:43 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:29 | | Dejounte Murray blocks Jayson Tatum's two point driving layup | ||
| 6:29 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 6:18 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:16 | | Jayson Tatum offensive rebound | ||
| 6:11 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:10 | | Jrue Holiday offensive rebound | ||
| 6:09 | | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point putback layup | 18-12 |
| 6:09 | | Trey Murphy III shooting foul (Jrue Holiday draws the foul) | ||
| 6:09 | | +1 | Jrue Holiday makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 18-13 |
| 5:45 | | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 20-13 |
| 5:36 | | Jrue Holiday misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:34 | | CJ McCollum defensive rebound | ||
| 5:27 | | CJ McCollum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:26 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 5:14 | | Trey Murphy III shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 5:14 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 20-14 |
| 5:14 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-15 |
| 5:02 | | Javonte Green misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:00 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 4:50 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:49 | | Javonte Green defensive rebound | ||
| 4:39 | | +3 | Dejounte Murray makes three point jump shot (CJ McCollum assists) | 23-15 |
| 4:19 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:18 | | Yves Missi defensive rebound | ||
| 4:10 | | +3 | Dejounte Murray makes three point pullup jump shot | 26-15 |
| 3:53 | | +2 | Payton Pritchard makes two point driving finger roll layup | 26-17 |
| 3:42 | | Jrue Holiday personal foul (CJ McCollum draws the foul) | ||
| 3:33 | | Jrue Holiday blocks CJ McCollum's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:31 | | CJ McCollum offensive rebound | ||
| 3:28 | | Zion Williamson misses two point cutting layup | ||
| 3:27 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 3:15 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving floating jump shot | 26-19 |
| 3:12 | | Zion Williamson turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 3:01 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:59 | | Dejounte Murray defensive rebound | ||
| 2:48 | | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point jump shot (Dejounte Murray assists) | 28-19 |
| 2:38 | | +3 | Kristaps Porzingis makes three point jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 28-22 |
| 2:22 | | Al Horford blocks Zion Williamson's two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 2:21 | | Celtics defensive rebound | ||
| 2:21 | | Pelicans 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:21 | | Jump ball. Kristaps Porzingis vs. Zion Williamson (Al Horford gains possession) | ||
| 2:06 | | Jrue Holiday misses two point driving layup | ||
| 2:05 | | Zion Williamson defensive rebound | ||
| 2:00 | | +2 | Daniel Theis makes two point running layup (CJ McCollum assists) | 30-22 |
| 1:42 | | Payton Pritchard misses two point driving layup | ||
| 1:41 | | Al Horford offensive rebound | ||
| 1:41 | | +2 | Al Horford makes two point tip layup | 30-24 |
| 1:22 | | +3 | Dejounte Murray makes three point jump shot (Zion Williamson assists) | 33-24 |
| 1:02 | | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point stepback jump shot | 33-27 |
| 0:47 | | Dejounte Murray misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:46 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 0:32 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:29 | | Zion Williamson defensive rebound | ||
| 0:13 | | +2 | Jordan Hawkins makes two point pullup jump shot (Dejounte Murray assists) | 35-27 |
| 0:02 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving finger roll layup | 35-29 |
| 0:00 | | Zion Williamson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Pelicans offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:44 | | Trey Murphy III misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 11:43 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 11:33 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point pullup jump shot (Sam Hauser assists) | 35-32 |
| 11:09 | | Trey Murphy III misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 11:08 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:59 | | Trey Murphy III defensive rebound | ||
| 10:49 | | +2 | Trey Murphy III makes two point driving layup | 37-32 |
| 10:35 | | +3 | Al Horford makes three point jump shot (Luke Kornet assists) | 37-35 |
| 10:23 | | Luke Kornet shooting foul (Daniel Theis draws the foul) | ||
| 10:23 | | +1 | Daniel Theis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 38-35 |
| 10:23 | | +1 | Daniel Theis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-35 |
| 10:12 | | Pelicans 60 second timeout | ||
| 10:09 | | Jump ball. Luke Kornet vs. Daniel Theis (Al Horford gains possession) | ||
| 9:54 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point cutting layup (Jaylen Brown assists) | 39-37 |
| 9:36 | | +3 | Jose Alvarado makes three point jump shot (Trey Murphy III assists) | 42-37 |
| 9:24 | | Jose Alvarado personal foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 9:13 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving finger roll layup | 42-39 |
| 9:13 | | Jordan Hawkins shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 9:13 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 42-40 |
| 8:57 | | +3 | Jose Alvarado makes three point jump shot (Trey Murphy III assists) | 45-40 |
| 8:39 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:36 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 8:27 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jaylen Brown assists) | 45-42 |
| 8:09 | | Jordan Hawkins misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:08 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 7:55 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup | 45-44 |
| 7:41 | | Trey Murphy III misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 7:40 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 7:31 | | +2 | Derrick White makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Payton Pritchard assists) | 45-46 |
| 7:31 | | Pelicans 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:20 | | +2 | Zion Williamson makes two point pullup jump shot (Trey Murphy III assists) | 47-46 |
| 7:05 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:04 | | Daniel Theis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:53 | | Jose Alvarado misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 6:52 | | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | ||
| 6:27 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point stepback jump shot | 47-49 |
| 6:09 | | Zion Williamson misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 6:08 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 6:02 | | Derrick White misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:01 | | Daniel Theis defensive rebound | ||
| 5:52 | | Jose Alvarado misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:51 | | Al Horford defensive rebound | ||
| 5:40 | | Al Horford misses two point alley-oop layup | ||
| 5:39 | | Daniel Theis defensive rebound | ||
| 5:33 | | Trey Murphy III turnover (lost ball) (Derrick White steals) | ||
| 5:23 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point dunk (Jaylen Brown assists) | 47-51 |
| 5:10 | | Luke Kornet personal foul (Daniel Theis draws the foul) | ||
| 5:00 | | Zion Williamson misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:59 | | Zion Williamson offensive rebound | ||
| 4:58 | | Al Horford shooting foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:58 | | +1 | Zion Williamson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 48-51 |
| 4:58 | | +1 | Zion Williamson makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 49-51 |
| 4:49 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (lost ball) (Zion Williamson steals) | ||
| 4:42 | | +2 | CJ McCollum makes two point running layup (Dejounte Murray assists) | 51-51 |
| 4:24 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (lost ball) (Zion Williamson steals) | ||
| 4:21 | | Jaylen Brown shooting foul (Zion Williamson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:21 | | +1 | Zion Williamson makes regular free throw 1 of 2 |