The Boston Celtics (25 - 35) defeated the New Orleans Pelicans (33 - 29) 104 - 98 on Friday. Isaiah Thomas relished his bench role with the Phoenix Suns, and he continues to embrace it as member of the Boston Celtics. Thomas dropped 27 points in 29 minutes against the Pelicans in New Orleans. He helped his team to a 3 - 2 record over their last five games, averaging 21 points and 5 assists in that time. Jae Crowder was placed into the starting lineup due to the injury to Avery Bradley's elbow. Crowder finished with 11 points, nine rebounds and four steals in 37 minutes, and gave his team immense energy without committing a foul. The Celtics are still just a few games out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Anthony Davis does it all for his team, and that trend continued Friday with him recording 29 points, 14 points, two assists and one steal in 42 minutes. He also added to his all - time franchise record with three blocked shots. Eric Gordon did his best to help out Davis but his 20 points were n't enough to defend their home court against the Celtics. New Orlean's point guards Tyreke Evans and Norris Cole combined for 12 turnovers, which proved to be very costly in the end. The Pelicans are the first team on the outside looking in at the Western Conference playoff picture. New Orleans will host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday and the Celtics will take on the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
["TeamStat(G,'Pelicans') has 29 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 21 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 33 Points in 3rd quarter ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Celtics') has 35 Losses ,has 104 Total points ,has 20 Points in 2nd quarter ,has 25 Points in 3rd quarter ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Jae Crowder') has 37 Assists ,has 11 Blocks ,has 9 Minutes played ,has 4 Points ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Isaiah Thomas') has 29 Assists ,has 27 Blocks ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Anthony Davis') has 2 Assists ,has 3 Blocks ,has 42 Minutes played ,has 29 Points ,has 1 Total rebounds ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Eric Gordon') has 20 Assists ."]