Celtics, Pelicans, pay tribute to Kobe Bryant to start game; New Orleans wins 123-108
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The games themselves became an afterthought on Sunday, as the NBA moved forward with its slate of games despite the basketball world reeling from the sudden and shocking death of five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant. One of the games to take place was the Celtics and Pelicans, which New Orleans took by a 123-108 final after the teams started the game with heavy hearts.
Video monitors at Smoothie King Center displayed Bryant’s photo as the arena led a 24-second moment of silence, honoring Bryant’s jersey No. 24. The teams also took intentional 24-second shot clock violations on the first two possessions of the game as their way of paying tribute to the fallen NBA star.
Bigger than basketball.
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 26, 2020
Rest In Peace, 24 🙏 https://t.co/oL4ERWEx4m
They carried on with the rest of the game from there, and the Pelicans won Sunday on the strength of their bench scoring. J.J. Redick came off the bench to score 17 points in just 23 minutes, outscoring the entire Celtics bench by himself. New Orleans’ reserves outscored the Celtics’ 38-8, more than making up for the Pelicans’ starters being outscored by Boston’s 100-85.
Missing Jayson Tatum for the second straight game, the Celtics leaned on their starters to carry the load amid a lack of offense off the bench. Kemba Walker led the Celtics with 35 points on 10-for-24 shooting from the field.
Pelicans star rookie big man Zion Williamson scored 21 points and led all players with 11 rebounds.
Up Next: The Celtics will conclude their three-game road trip on Tuesday, as they head to Miami for a Super Bowl-week matchup with the Heat.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at [email protected].
