New Orleans Pelicans vs Boston Celtics Prediction: The Celts are red-hot

The NBA Regular Season in the 2022-23 window has brought radicalization to the approach of some teams. The Sacramento Kings have unlocked a shoot-out style of basketball and they are burying teams by scoring mountainous amounts of points. Then there are the Boston Celtics who have uncovered a new brand of basketball to make up for defensive lapses, they are now a scoring-oriented team rather than a defensive-oriented and slowed-down type of style. In this game, the Boston Celtics are going to visit the New Orleans Pelicans. 

The Pelicans come into this game after a resounding 124:110 win against the Chicago Bulls as CJ McCollum laid down 23 points. The Pelicans have won three in a row and have improved to nine wins and six losses. They are in the middle of a six-game homestand and have won five out of seven games here. One of the major wins recently was against the Grizzlies which certainly has bolstered their confidence. The Pels have been bolstered by the return of Zion Williamson but he is still not playing every game.

That is why it is vital for CJ McCollum to produce at a high rate and he has been doing so well lately. Brandon Ingram as a major scorer has been an all-around factor whereas Trey Murphy’s evolution as a high-yielding sharpshooter has helped the team’s offense. Jonas Valanciunas in the middle has done his job well too whereas Herb Jones as a Forward gives a great quality of defense. Jose Alvarado, Larry Nance Jr., and Naji Marshall have been constants off-the-bench and have delivered in big ways as they are capable of being effective on both ends.

The Celtics come into this game after performing yet another demolition job, defeating the Hawks 126:101 as Jaylen Brown cooked up a 22 points performance in what was an incredible team scoring effort. The Celtics are on an amazing eight-game winning streak, half of them coming away from home and half of them against squads that have 50%+ win records. Overall, they have won 12 of their 15 games and are on the top of the Eastern Conference.

They have the best offensive rating in the league and it is not like that they are playing a high pace, their shot selection has been unparalleled thus far. They are the best three-point shooting, making around 16 a game and around 39% shooting from deep. Their defense isn’t the same as last season when they were limiting teams under 100 but their fiery offense has had no answer. Jayson Tatum has been averaging 30+ a game alongside Brown who is averaging around 25 while the role players have been filling in the rest of the production.

• Pelicans: OUT: EJ Lidell. QUESTIONABLE: Zion Williamson;
• Celtics: OUT: Robert Williams III, Danilo Gallinari. PROBABLE: Malcolm Brogdon. QUESTIONABLE: Marcus Smart.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Jayson Tatum(30+ Points), Brandon Ingram(22-27 Points), Jaylen Brown(20+ Points), CJ McCollum(18-23 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders:Jonas Valanciunas(8-11 Rebounds), Jayson Tatum(7-10 Rebounds), Brandon Ingram(6-9 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: CJ McCollum(7-10 Assists), Marcus Smart(6-9 Assists).

The Pelicans have been a strong team at home but they face a Celtics squad that has been more than a handful away from home and doesn’t care about the quality of the opponent. Offensively, the Celtics have exceeded expectations and are in great shape to make a deep Playoffs run, something that can’t be said about the Pelicans yet. The core of the Pelicans has nowhere near the experience of the Celtics’ core that has stuck together for many seasons now.

About this game, the Celtics have brought in three wins, while the Pels are on a three-game winning run, so both teams are in a pretty decent rhythm. I see the game beginning with a lot of back-and-forth runs but I see the Celtics seizing the momentum late and bringing in a win. I see the total points range here can be 235-245 here. I see the scoreline as 120:115 in favor of the Celts.