Celtics continue 3-point barrage, beat Pelicans
BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics again went to the long ball and completed a sweep of a four-game homestand with a 117-108 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Isaiah Thomas continued his torrid stretch with 38 points and Marcus Smart, starting for the injured Avery Bradley, scored a season- and home career-high 22 as Boston hit 18 3-pointers and had 71 during the four-game homestand.
It was the third time in NBA history a team made at least 15 3-pointers in four straight games. Houston did it twice last season.
The Celtics (23-14) twice trailed by 10 points in the first half but took control and cruised to the win despite 36 points and 15 rebounds by New Orleans' Anthony Davis.
Thomas scored 27 of his points after halftime, 17 in the fourth quarter, in his 21st straight 20-point game -- the current long streak in the NBA. He was 13 for 24 from the floor, 6 for 11 from 3-point range.
Just as he had done in his career-high 52-point game against Oklahoma City on Dec. 23, Thomas failed to dish out an assist. The last time that happened, he had a career-high 15 in the next game.
The Celtics, who have won 10 of their last 12 games, set a franchise record by hitting 19 treys in Friday night's victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, hit 18 more Saturday and have gone 71 for 139 from deep during the four-game stretch.
With Bradley down with an Achilles strain, Smart scored 15 points in the first half and finished with six assists, five rebounds and two steals. He was 7 for 10 from the floor, 5 for 7 from behind the arc.
The Celtics got plenty of help from the bench as Gerald Green scored 15 points and Kelly Olynyk added 12.
Al Horford, whose dead-eye shooting won Friday night's game, was a dismal 3-for-18 from the floor and 1-for-6 on treys Saturday, but had eight assists and seven rebounds.
Davis was 14 for 22 from the floor and added two assists and two blocked shots for the Pelicans (14-24).
Langston Galloway came off the bench with 20 points in 22 minutes, while Jrue Holiday had 13 and Donatas Montiejunas, making his New Orleans debut, had 11 off the bench.
The Celtics were played home games on back-to-back nights for the first time in a full season since the first two games of the 1978-79 season. They also did it twice in a 1998-1999 season shortened by a work stoppage.
NOTES: C Donatas Montiejunas, who signed a free agent contract with the Pelicans on Tuesday, was set to debut against the Celtics. He was playing in his first NBA game since April 27. ... G Avery Bradley was out of the Boston lineup with a strained Achilles. Coach Brad Stevens said the club will be "appropriately conservative" with regard to the injury. Marcus Smart started in place of Bradley. ... Boston C Tyler Zeller missed his third straight game with illness, while G James Young will miss another week with an ankle sprain. F Jordan Mickey was available after recovering from illness. ... New Orleans rookie Buddy Hield, who hit 48 percent of his 3-pointers in December, started January 8-for-15 from behind the arc. ... Stevens on whether the team checked on players' arrivals in the snow: "Nobody checked on me, I know that." ... The Celtics came in 4-3 on the back end of back-to-backs, including 4-1 in the last five. ... The Pelicans visit the Knicks Monday night while the Celtics are at Toronto Tuesday.