The Boston Celtics entered the 2025-26 season with tempered expectations, but no one anticipated a plunge into the record books for all the wrong reasons. An 0-4 start would have matched the franchise’s dismal 1970-71 campaign—the last time the C’s began a season winless through four games. On Monday night in New Orleans, that ignominious streak hung in the balance.
It didn’t happen.
Boston erupted in the fourth quarter, outscoring the shorthanded Pelicans 35-12 to secure a commanding 122-90 victory at Smoothie King Center. The Celtics turned an 11-point halftime lead into a 20-point cushion with 4:49 remaining, leaving New Orleans no path to recovery.
Without two-time All-Star Zion Williamson (left foot bone contusion) and new center Kevon Looney (knee injury, yet to debut), the Pelicans were overmatched inside. Boston feasted on the glass, hauling in 66 rebounds to New Orleans’ 46—their most dominant board performance of the young season. Defensively, the C’s stifled the Pels, who managed zero blocks while Boston recorded four, including a pair from center Neemias Queta.
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Offensively, first-year Celtic Anfernee Simons stole the show off the bench, pouring in a game-high 25 points in 32 minutes. His 12 fourth-quarter points alone equaled New Orleans’ entire output over the final 15 minutes.
Jaylen Brown, Boston’s four-time All-Star and usual scoring engine, battled foul trouble and logged just 24 minutes. He still contributed 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists before exiting early in the fourth.
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The surprise spark came from forward Josh Minott, who made his first NBA start and set a career-high with 15 points. His two-way energy embodied the up-tempo style the Celtics crave.
At 1-3, Boston has little time to savor the blowout. On Wednesday, the 3-1 Cleveland Cavaliers—fresh off a 21-point thrashing of Detroit—visit TD Garden. The C’s fell to the Pistons earlier this season; against a Cavs team eyeing Eastern Conference supremacy, they’ll need their best to avoid another slide.