• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Celtics visit The Big Easy

Mar 16, 2014 - 1:42 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Two teams will try to halt losing streaks Sunday night when the Boston Celtics visit the Smoothie King Center to take on the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Celtics have dropped three straight, including the last two at home. Boston has lost five straight as the visitor and will head to Dallas to battle the Mavs on Monday night.

Boston's third consecutive loss came Friday night in Beantown at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. The final seven points of the game all went in Phoenix's favor as the Suns prevailed, 87-80.

"We didn't play with any poise. That was probably the biggest thing. They executed pretty well," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "Yes, we collapsed at the end, but the fact of the matter is we probably lost the game just as much in the third quarter. Our offense was incredibly stagnant."

The Celtics shot 30.9 percent from the field against the Suns, a staggering 29-for-94. Things weren't much better from long range as Boston went 3-for-21 for 14 percent.

Kris Humphries, who stormed off the court after the loss, had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Chris Johnson was the only other double-figure scorer with 11, but Kelly Olynyk grabbed 10 rebounds.

Boston guard Avery Bradley returned to the lineup after missing 13 games with an ankle injury and finished with nine points in 16:38 minutes of action.

The Pelicans have lost two in a row, both at home, after starting this residency with back-to-back wins over the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets. The losses came against the Memphis Grizzlies and, on Friday, the Portland Trail Blazers.

New Orleans fell, 111-103, at home to Portland and owned a six-point lead with 8 1/2 minutes left in the game. Damian Lillard sparked the Blazers to victory late in the game.

Anthony Davis scored a career-high 36 points with nine rebounds for the Pelicans.

"I don't care about that," Davis said of his career high. "I only care about winning. We lost so all that is just for you guys."

Brian Roberts netted 19 and dished five helpers, while Eric Gordon and Tyreke Evans scored 16 apiece. Gordon added six rebounds and six assists, while Evans chipped in eight rebounds and eight assists.

The Pelicans polish off the homestand Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors.

The Pelicans won by three in Boston on Jan. 3 and have taken four straight in the series. New Orleans is 3-1 in its last four as the host against the Celtics.