The Boston Celtics (57-16, first in the Eastern Conference) and the New Orleans Pelicans (45-28, fifth in the Western Conference) are set to face off in a non-conference matchup on Saturday at 5 p.m. EDT in New Orleans.
The Pelicans have an impressive home record of 21-14 but have struggled in close games, with a 1-6 record in games decided by less than 4 points. On the other hand, the Celtics have a solid road record of 25-13 and are fifth in the Eastern Conference with 15.5 fast break points per game, led by Jaylen Brown who averages 4.4.
The two teams meet for the second time this season, with the Celtics winning their previous meeting on January 30 with a score of 118-112. The top performers to watch include Jonas Valanciunas and Zion Williamson for the Pelicans and Derrick White and Sam Hauser for the Celtics.
In terms of recent performance, both teams have been putting up strong offensive numbers, with the Pelicans averaging 110.3 points and the Celtics averaging 123.5 points in their last ten games. However, when it comes to made three-pointers per game, the Pelicans average only 0.6 fewer than what the Celtics give up (12.8 vs. 16.6), while the Celtics average an impressive 3.2 more than what the Pelicans allow (13.4).
Both teams have had some injuries to contend with as well – Brandon Ingram and Jose Alvarado are out for New Orleans while Jaden Springer and Al Horford will miss out for Boston