10 takeaways from the Celtics’ gritty win over the Pelicans

#1 – Rim frequency

Against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Boston Celtics had their highest volume of rim attempts of the season. With 37% on their attempts within 4 feet from the basket, the Celtics had more attempts in the paint (47) than from the three-point line (44).

The Celtics have struggled in the fourth quarter lately, and one of the reasons is how much they rely on jump shots. Last night, they used rim pressure to get over the fourth-quarter hump and generate easy shots at the rim. They went back to their usual empty-side action to stretch the defense.

To generate space at the rim, they also used Kristaps Porzingis’ post-up. They used the big man to stretch Yves Missi far from the rim so Jayson Tatum could cut into the open space.

In the last quarter, the Celtics only took 5 attempts from three, while taking 13 shots at the rim and 11 free throws. It was pretty unusual for the Celtics to live so close to the rim—but when their shots aren’t falling, they were able to find another way to get the W.

#2 – Offensive rebounds

The story of the last game was rebounding—or rather the lack of it. Well, the Celtics turned it around last night against the Pelicans. Joe Mazzulla’s men dominated the glass. They had their 4th-best offensive rebounding game of the season and their 2nd-best defensive rebounding game.

One-third of the offensive rebounds came from Kristaps Porzingis, which is very encouraging. Indeed, the Celtics have usually been better on the offensive rebound with the Latvian on the bench. In this last game, the Celtics generated the equivalent of 33 points per 100 misses. In such a close game, it’s definitely a game changer for Boston.

#3 – How to attack the drop defense

One of the tricks to attacking drop coverage is the pick-and-pop, and Boston has the perfect tool for that with Porzingis. The big man’s catch-and-shoots are the ultimate punishment for drop defense—if the Pelicans want to keep Missi close to the rim to disrupt the drives, the Celtics send it to KP, and he drains it from three.

Missi is a rookie but has been one of the best rim protectors of the season so far, so the Celtics had to get creative. The Celtics also used off-ball screens to drag Missi away from the rim or force the switch.

To punish the Pelicans’ drop, the Celtics also used the Spain pick-and-roll with a second screener behind Missi, who can also shoot from three. Using a second three-point shooter behind the rim protector forces the…