BOSTON -- Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas doesn't even let his kids win a playful game of household hoops, so no matter how injury-riddled the New Orleans Pelicans were, Thomas had no sympathy.
As the road-weary Celtics limped through an uninspired effort Wednesday night at TD Garden, Thomas implored his teammates to think about playoff seeding with the regular-season finish line a week away and Boston still neck-and-neck with three teams competing for homecourt advantage in the opening round of the postseason.
Thomas scored a game-high 32 points on 10-of-19 shooting over 33 minutes in a 104-97 win over the Pelicans at TD Garden.