Tatum scores 23 as Celtics rebound from back-to-back losses with 104-92 win over Pelicans

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 23 points and the Boston Celtics rebounded from back-to-back losses to Atlanta, pulling away in the third quarter for a 104-92 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.

Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots and Jaylen Brown scored 17 as the Celtics, who at 58-16 have the NBA’s best record, avoided what would have been their first three-game skid of the year.

Derrick White had 15 points and Jrue Holiday had 13 points, seven assists and eight rebounds.

Zion Williamson scored 25 for New Orleans and CJ McCollum added 24.

Porzingis said stopping the two-game skid — only the Celtics’ third losing streak of the season — was less important than simply playing well.

“Last year Denver lost four in a row at one point, and I think the team that won before that lost five in a row,” he said. “But winning is a nice habit for sure.”

Ahead 59-57 at halftime, Boston took control in the third quarter, limiting New Orleans to 11 points while Porzingis had two of his blocks. The Celtics went ahead 79-68 on Tatum’s 3-pointer with 4:12 left in the quarter and led by double digits the rest of the way, going up by 22 in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics took away open 3-point shots and funneled the Pelicans to the basket, where Porzingis was waiting.

“That has to be our identity defensively,” Porzingis said. “The guys (on the perimeter ) do everything up until that point, and when the opponent gets to the rim, they meet me. We played at a very high level.”

The Pelicans shot 4 of 23 in the third quarter and Williamson missed all five of his attempts, guarded primarily by the 6-foot-6 Brown. New Orleans did not score after Trey Murphy’s 3-pointer with 4:37 left, going 0 of 6 with three turnovers.

“Jaylen did a nice job of making it very difficult for him (Williamson),” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He still got his average on free throws, but we kept him out of transition, kept him out of the paint and the guys on the perimeter did a great job of showing help on Zion and making him give up the ball early.”

Williamson and Herb Jones each had 14 points in the first half, when New Orleans led by 11 points after Williamson’s steal and dunk sparked a 9-0 run.

“They definitely hit us first,” Mazzulla said. “Our guys did a great job keeping their poise and responding the way we know how to with our defense and our offensive execution.”

McCollum’s driving layup made it 34-23 late in the first quarter, but Boston chipped away in the second quarter, tying it at 44 on White’s tip-in of Brown’s miss.

White gave the Celtics their first lead when he hit a deep 3 as time expired in the first half, and they continued their run at the start of the third quarter.

“They upped their intensity and we didn’t match it,” Williamson said. “When we decided to match it, the game was kind of out of hand at that point.”

Brandon Ingram missed his fifth consecutive game for the Pelicans with a bone bruise in his left knee. New Orleans was trying to get 18 games above .500 for the first time since being 49-31 on April 12, 2009.

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UP NEXT

Celtics: Visit Charlotte on Monday night to wrap up a six-game road swing.

Pelicans: Host Phoenix on Monday night in the fourth of six straight at home.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) loses the ball as he drives to the basket against Boston Celtics center Al Horford and guard Jaylen Brown (7) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. The Celtics won 104-92. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) and guard Trey Murphy III battle for a rebound against Boston Celtics forward Sam Hauser (30), forward Jayson Tatum (0), center Al Horford and forward Xavier Tillman, left, in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. The Celtics won 104-92. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) battles for the ball with Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) and guard Derrick White in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. The Celtics won 104-92. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis blocks a shot by New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. The Celtics won 104-92. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas (17) goes to the basket against Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) shoots against New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) goes to the basket against Boston Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis (8) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson slam dunks on a breakaway in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Boston Celtics in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) shoots against Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum works the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum in the first half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) battles for control of the ball against New Orleans Pelicans guard Trey Murphy III (25) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. The Celtics won 104-92. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) shoots against New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum in the second half of an NBA basketball game in New Orleans, Saturday, March 30, 2024. The Celtics won 104-92. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

LEAVENWORTH, Wash. (AP) — The scent of bratwurst and pretzels filled the air as horses clopped down the main street, hauling a carriage full of tourists. Nestled in her mother's arms, a baby reached out to touch a shop window display, peering toward the sequin-covered reindeer behind it, as colorful ornaments twirled nearby.

Welcome to Leavenworth, Washington, the Christmas capital of the Pacific Northwest.

Decades ago, Leavenworth was a near ghost town on the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, one of the region's poorest communities. The mines and the sawmill had closed, and even the railroad left. In the 1960s, desperate business owners made a serious gamble. Without any state or federal help, they began taking out loans and remodeling the downtown in the style of a Bavarian village.

More than half a century later, the result brings tourists from near and far all year long — hikers and skiers, river rafters and fly-fishers, shoppers and day-trippers from Seattle, some 3 million visitors in all last year, according to Matt Cade, president of the Greater Leavenworth Museum. The crush has prompted concerns about the cost of living, and recent efforts, including some state funding for affordable apartments, have focused on ensuring that tourism industry workers can live in town.

But the town peaks in popularity during the holidays.

In December, it takes on the ruddy, warm glow of a German Christmas market, with the magic of choirs, carolers, food vendors and a gingerbread house contest. The longstanding practice of switching on the Christmas lights downtown on Saturday and Sunday evenings began to draw such large crowds that organizers eventually decided to just leave them on from Thanksgiving through February.

“Every time I go there, I just feel joy and excitement,” said Alison Epsom, of Sultan, who visited with her husband, Brian Jolly, and their 8-month-old daughter, Acacia.

The couple met nearly two decades ago, when they were performing at an international dance festival. For one of their first dates, Jolly invited Epsom, a native of England, to visit Leavenworth.

“I knew I had one opportunity that she was going to be here and I wanted her to fall in love with me,” he recalled.

As they drove through the mountain pass on their way, she told him to pull over. She jumped outside without a coat and made a little snowman.

“I had never seen that much snow," Epsom said. "So that was absolutely magical to me.”

They have made it an annual tradition to return to Leavenworth, and every year they pick out a new ornament for their tree at the Kris Kringl shop downtown. The town is a core part of the couple's love story. Jolly even proposed to her on a horse-drawn sleigh.

This year, it was their daughter's turn to pick out the new ornament — her parents decided they'd buy the first one she touched. She grabbed at a white owl, which now hangs from the family's Christmas tree, near the red- and gold-glittered star that Epsom picked out on their first visit.

A person rides their bike on Front Street in the fog on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A child looks out into the fog on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

People look up at trees decorated in lights at Front Street Park on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Members of the Krampus Seattle and Krampus Bremerton groups gather before walking down Front Street as part of a Krampuslauf Leavenworth event on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A child stands on their toes to look out of a cut out on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Greater Leavenworth Museum President Matt Cade displays photos of Leavenworth, Wash., at the museum on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Leavenworth. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A child walks past a trash can along Front Street on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Erica Irwin, 6, looks out the door as she waits for her sister at the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Nutcrackers are displayed outside the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A person walks up steps by a mural on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A person looks at a peacock display at Kris Kringl on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A person wearing a Christmas themed hat walks down the steps at Obertal Inn on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A person looks up at lights at Front Street Park on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A person rides their bike on Front Street in the fog on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

People sit by a fire at Icicle Brewing Company on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Alison Epsom looks at her 8-month-old daughter Acacia Epsom Jolly as she holds an owl ornament that she picked to be her first Christmas ornament at Kris Kringl shop on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A child looks up at a Santa Claus figure on a sled at Kris Kringl on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

U.S. Highway 2, top left, leads to downtown Leavenworth, Wash., as the Wenatchee River runs next to Blackbird Island, center right, on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Anna Jarski, 8, of Seattle, waves to Olav the Belgian draft horse on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Coachman Teresa Eddings leads Daisy, a Belgian draft horse, as she pulls a carriage down Front Street, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

People walk along Front Street on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024, in Leavenworth, Wash. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)