New Orleans Pelicans Lose Again In The 'Last Five Minutes' And Hand The Boston Celtics A Victory

New Orleans Pelicans' late fourth-quarter execution falters once again in the loss to the Boston Celtics.

New Orleans Pelicans' late-quarter execution falters once again as the Boston Celtics win 118-112 at TD Arena.  Poor defense, turnovers, and missed open shots plague the consistently inconsistent Pelicans team. 

Brandon Ingram scored 28 points, and Zion Williamson contributed 26 in the Pelicans' second straight loss on the road.   

"We know that in the last five minutes of the game, we have to execute better and get quality looks," Coach Willie Green commented in his postgame press conference.  

Jan 29, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) after the game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans raced out to a 25-8 run, leading to a 36-25 lead in the first quarter, but they would squander an early 17-point lead to ultimately lose by 6 points.

Green also pointed out, "We executed well for maybe three and a half quarters of the game.  And we know our blind spots.  We know that the last five minutes of a game we have to execute better and get quality looks.  We had a few turnovers there down the stretch, and that's where we have to grow."

New Orleans couldn't muster any fourth-quarter heroics against Jayson Tatum's penetrating moves and Derrick White's final-period treys. 

White evened the game at 94 apiece on a bomb from downtown Boston with 6:14 remaining.  At that point, the Celtics were on a 13-2 run in the last 3:50 minutes. 

Jan 29, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) dunks the ball between New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) and guard CJ McCollum (3) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

The Pelicans failed to rally when Tatum stole the ball off a Zion Williamson turnover as he attempted to penetrate the paint.  Next, the Celtics' leader dunked on the fastbreak to give them a 111-103 lead with 1:42 left in the contest.  His steal-and-score ended a 15-5 run in the last 3:43.

Boston would cruise to the 118-112 victory, leaving New Orleans wondering if they have the right pieces to contend against the NBA's elite teams.

"I'm sure some of it is mental because we were having mental breakdowns during the last five minutes.  But we're continuing to work on it.  We will continue to work on it...but, that's the area we know we have to grow," Green noted.

Boston's Tatum scored 28 points and grabbed ten rebounds, while Brown added 22 and 11 rebounds.  

The New Orleans Pelicans (26-21) will face a red-hot Houston Rocket (21-24) team that defeated LeBron James and the Lakers by a score of 135-119 on Monday night.  The Pelicans-Rockets game will take place on Wednesday at 7:00 PM CT at the Toyota Center.