The Boston Celtics used a huge fourth quarter to knock off the New Orleans Pelicans 108-100 on Monday night. After trailing by four thru three quarters, Boston outscored New Orleans 36-24 in the final period to secure the win.
Jared Sullinger led the way for the shorthanded Celtics with 27 points on 9 of 17 shooting from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line as well as grabbing 10 rebounds. Jae Crowder also had a big night in his third game as a Boston starter with 22 points on 9 of 14 shooting. He added four steals, three rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Marcus Thornton contributed 13 points while Brandon Bass added with 12 points and five boards. Evan Turner chipped in with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Anthony Davis and Eric Gordon did most of the damage for the Pelicans in the loss. Davis finished with 34 points on the strength of a 14 for 15 effort from the free-throw line to go along with nine rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Gordon totaled 21 points on 7 of 12 shooting, including 3 of 5 shooting from beyond the arc. Tyreke Evans added 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Jimmer Fredette saw 12:23 of action and finished with five points on 0 of 3 shooting from the field, but was 5 of 6 from the free-throw line. He added two assists and a steal and was a team-high +6 when he was on the floor.
Up next for Fredette and the Pelicans is a matchup with the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
The obvious answer for the pelicans is to give Jimmer more playing time.
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