Zion Williamson, Pelicans Top Celtics 123-108 Despite Kemba Walker's 35 Points

The New Orleans Pelicans earned their first of what they hope is many victories with Zion Williamson in the lineup.

New Orleans snapped a two-game losing streak with a 123-108 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday at Smoothie King Center. Jrue Holiday led the way in a balanced effort, helping his team improve to 18-29 on the season as the Pels look to climb back into contention.

As for the Celtics, they are still an impressive 30-15 on the campaign even though their three-game winning streak came to an end.

Notable Player Stats

• NO PG Jrue Holiday: 25 points, six rebounds and five assists
• NO F Zion Williamson: 21 points and 11 rebounds
• NO C Derrick Favors: 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks
• BOS PG Kemba Walker: 35 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals
• BOS G Jaylen Brown: 20 points and two rebounds
• BOS F Gordon Hayward: 23 points and six rebounds

Zion Part of the Story But Not All of It

The Pelicans' season will surely be defined by the introduction of Williamson to the NBA world, but the best formula for their overall success is for him to seamlessly blend into the offense as a talented rookie with a sky-high ceiling.

He already stole the spotlight in incredible fashion with 22 points in his career debut Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, with 17 of them coming in a stunning stretch during the fourth quarter. While he did not finish the game in an effort to keep him healthy, he impressed again with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting Friday against the Denver Nuggets.

Now that he already proved how transcendent he can be in his first NBA action, attention turned toward finding the win column.

He was aggressive out of the gate with seven field-goal attempts in the first six minutes as he pounded the offensive glass and then gave way to a balanced attack as the Pelicans built a 20-point lead by halftime with nobody scoring more than 10 points.

Boston gradually battled back until it was within single digits in the second half, but New Orleans had far too much balance. Holiday was the best player on the floor for extended stretches with his shooting and willingness to attack, Lonzo Ball dished out 15 assists, JJ Redick provided key shooting, and Derrick Favors battled on the boards.

Throw in Brandon Ingram's smooth stroke, and everything was clicking for the Pelicans on Sunday even before Williamson impressed down the stretch with multiple finishes at the rim on his way to a double-double.

Not Even Kemba Walker Enough for Shorthanded Celtics

Boston played without Jayson Tatum (groin) and Enes Kanter (hip) in Sunday's game, meaning it was without its second-leading scorer and rebounder in the former and leading rebounder in the latter.

That put the onus on the rest of the team, and Kemba Walker answered the call by consistently attacking the basket to get to the free-throw line and connecting on four triples when defenders gave him even the slightest bit of space.

The result was an impressive performance that kept the Celtics within striking distance into the final few minutes despite an abysmal first half.

Still, the visitors were a mere 8-of-33 shooting (24.2 percent) from three-point range and turned it over 16 times. That is not the recipe for a comeback, especially with two key players sidelined with injuries.

Walker was dominant for much of the contest, but the Celtics didn't have enough firepower to keep up with the balanced Pelicans even with solid secondary showings from Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown.

What's Next?

Both teams are on the road Tuesday, when the Celtics face the Miami Heat and the Pelicans play the Cleveland Cavaliers.