Celtics vie to secure East’s No. 2 seed in clash vs. Pelicans
The Boston Celtics will have another chance to secure the No. 2 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night.
Boston (54-26) could have clinched second place by beating New York on Thursday night, but the Knicks scored nine of the final 11 points to earn a 112-106 victory.
The Celtics and Knicks each have two games to play, and any Boston victory or New York loss will give Boston the No. 2 seed. The Knicks will host Toronto on Friday night.
"Obviously we have to take care of the first round first, and I don't think we can play them (the Knicks) in the first round, so that's where our focus is," Boston guard Payton Pritchard said. "If we see them again, we'll be ready."
Baylor Scheierman's performance was a bright spot for Boston in the loss to New York. On a night when the Celtics didn't have leading scorer Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendinitis), Scheierman made 6 of 7 3-point attempts and tied his career high by scoring 20 points.
"Obviously, shot-making is the easiest thing to see and helps us on the scoreboard, but he just does a lot for us," Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. "Whether it's his crashing or his defense, but his instincts on both ends. ... He just continues to get better and better, and that's what we need, hitting that stretch there."
Thursday's game was the first time Jayson Tatum played at New York since he ruptured his right Achilles tendon in a road game against New York during the playoffs last season. Tatum collected 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in Thursday's loss.
"It was a big moment, a big hurdle for me," he said. "I was nervous and anxious to come back here."
New Orleans (26-54), meanwhile, is coming off Tuesday's 156-137 feel-good win against Utah. The Pelicans set a franchise record for points scored in a game with the win, which ended an eight-game losing streak.
Jeremiah Fears scored 40 points against Utah to set a Pelicans record for most points in a game by a rookie. Fears, the seventh overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, made 17 of 29 shots from the field.
"Really just proud of his growth," New Orleans coach James Borrego said. "From training camp to where he's at today -- he's taken a massive step. This franchise is in a really good place because of players like him. ... I see a clear pathway for this team to be successful moving into the future."
New Orleans won even though it played without starters Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones and Saddiq Bey.
Murphy (right ankle sprain) and Murray (left hand contusion) were injured. Williamson, Jones and Bey were active but didn't leave the bench in the team's final home game.
The Pelicans have ruled out Williamson, Jones and Bey for Friday's game.
New Orleans, which will miss the playoffs for the second straight season, will wrap up the regular season Sunday at Minnesota.
"We have two more games to play," Borrego said. "I want to honor those two games. Go play the best basketball possible for those two games."