Isaiah Thomas scored 38 points, Marcus Smart added a season-high 22 and the Boston Celtics beat the New Orleans Pelicans 117-108 on Saturday night.
It was the 21st consecutive 20-point game for Thomas. Gerald Green scored 15 and Kelly Olynyk had 12 off the bench as the Celtics (23-14) notched their fourth straight win.
Anthony Davis had 36 points and 15 rebounds, while Langston Galloway scored 20 points for the Pelicans (14-24), who have dropped three in a row.
Boston blew open the game with a 36-point third quarter and led 93-73 entering the fourth.
Davis scored half of the Pelicans’ points during a 14-4 run in the opening four minutes. His hook shot with 3:09 left in the quarter again pushed the lead to double digits at 25-15.
Boston answered with a 13-3 run capped by six straight points from Smart, including his 3-pointer with 39.5 seconds left to tie it at 28. E’Twaun Moore’s jumper and free throw on the other end gave New Orleans a 31-28 lead through one.
Moore’s floater midway through the second gave the Pelicans their largest lead of the period at 49-42. Smart sparked another Celtics run with his 3 a minute later.
Al Horford’s 3-pointer with 2:05 left in the half gave Boston its first lead at 52-51, capping the 10-2 surge. Smart’s third 3 of the half pushed the lead up to six and the Celtics took a 57-53 lead into halftime.
Davis led all scorers with 19 first-half points.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: F-C Donatas Motiejunas had 11 points and five rebounds over 20 minutes in his New Orleans debut. The 26-year-old Lithuanian joined the Pelicans on Tuesday for the remainder of the season after Houston renounced his rights in December.
Celtics: G Avery Bradley (Achilles strain) sat out and Smart took his place in the starting lineup. Bradley was injured during Friday’s 110-106 victory over Philadelphia. “We’ll be appropriately conservative,” coach Brad Stevens said. “Any muscular injury we want to be sure about.” … F Jordan Mickey was available after missing Friday’s game with an illness. C Tyler Zeller (illness) remained out. … Stevens said G-F James Young (ankle) will be sidelined at least another week.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: Continue a five-game road trip at New York on Monday.
Celtics: Quick stop in Toronto on Tuesday before returning home.
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