Celtics pulverize Pelicans to clinch No. 2 seed in East

Zack Cox, Boston Herald on Apr 10, 2026

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BOSTON — he Celtics officially will enter the NBA playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Boston locked up that spot for the second straight season Friday with a 144-118 beatdown of the tanking Pelicans at TD Garden.

New Orleans sat eight players for the game, including its entire starting lineup. Boston had everyone available except Jayson Tatum, who rested his surgically repaired Achilles on the second night of a back-to-back.

The result was an unsurprisingly one-sided matchup that featured one of the Celtics’ best offensive showings of the season. Joe Mazzulla’s club tied a franchise record with 17 3-pointers during an 82-point first half, and tied an NBA record (shared by the 2024-25 Celtics and 2020-21 Milwaukee Bucks) with 29 made 3s in the game.

The C’s topped the century mark midway through the third quarter and led by as many as 41 points. Fans chanted “One more three” late in the fourth quarter, but the Celtics hit just one in the final five minutes. Baylor Scheierman dribbled out the clock rather than attempt the record-setter as time expired.

Sam Hauser led Boston’s 3-point barrage, going 8 for 12 from deep to finish with a team-high 24 points. Jaylen Brown scored 23 on 8-of-13 shooting, getting away with seven turnovers and four fouls against the Pelicans’ depleted lineup. Neemias Queta tallied 10 rebounds, his 100th block of the season and the first made three of his five-year NBA career.

The Celtics’ bench also featured three double-digit scorers, paced by Payton Pritchard’s 21 on 7-of-14 shooting with 10 assists. Second-string center Nikola Vucevic turned in his most complete performance since his return from finger surgery, notching 14 points, five assists and four rebounds on efficient shooting (5 for 7; 3 for 5 from 3).

Boston will close out the regular season Sunday against Orlando at TD Garden — then could see the Magic again in their opening-round playoff series. As the No. 2 seed, the Celtics will face the winner of the 7 vs. 8 play-in game, which will feature two of Orlando, Philadelphia or Toronto.

After making just four field goals between them (on 17 attempts) in Thursday’s loss to New York, Derrick White and Hauser matched that total in the first five minutes against New Orleans. White hit two early 3-pointers — including one from the logo to beat the shot clock — and Hauser made three as the Celtics quickly built a double-digit lead.

Brown also started hot, going 4 for 6 from the field in a 12-point first quarter. He and Pritchard (10 points off the bench) nearly outscored New Orleans by themselves in the opening frame. As a team, the Celtics buried 10 of their first 18 threes and led 44-25 after one.

Mazzulla dipped deeper into his bench Friday than he has of late, giving first-half minutes to 10 different players for the first time since March 30. Hugo Gonzalez checked in midway through the first quarter after only playing in garbage time in the previous five games, and Luka Garza entered to start the second, snapping a streak of three straight DNP-CDs.

Garza (14 points, six rebounds, two blocks) converted three and-one layups during his 16 minutes, with two coming after offensive rebounds. There might not be room for the 6-foot-10 center in Mazzulla’s playoff rotation — he’s third on the depth chart behind Queta and Vucevic — but he’s proven he can be effective when called upon.

The Celtics shot 56.7% from distance in the first half and led 82-51 at the break. Hauser then canned four more 3-balls in the first 3:06 of the third quarter to make it a 40-point game. After the fourth, he shouted toward NBC Sports Boston’s sideline broadcast table, begging for a “Tommy Point.”

On the next possession, the normally paint-bound Queta received a pass from Jordan Walsh, found himself wide open outside the arc and broke his streak of 185 NBA games without a made three. The 7-footer now is 1-for-11 from deep in his career.

Mazzulla began shutting down his starters shortly thereafter, pulling White and Queta at the 5:48 mark of the third quarter and Brown three minutes later. Boston played its backups for the entire fourth quarter.