The last time the Boston Celtics and the New Orleans Pelicans squared off against each other, it was a close, thrilling game with the Celtics barely squeaking out a 120-119 win. So it came as no surprise that the second matchup between the two was just as nail-biting. The Celtics emerged victorious once again, 118-116, this time with All-Star Jayson Tatum drilling a game-winner to break the Pelicans' hearts. Despite the Pelicans poor record this season, they put up a fight against the defending champs.

With seconds left in the fourth quarter, Tatum found himself isolated near midcourt with C.J. McCollum defending him. Jayson Tatum took a few dribbles closer to the key, was cut off by Javonte Green, spun the opposite direction and shot an elbow jumper for the game-winner over McCollum that found the bottom of the net with only 0.2 seconds left.

Overall, Tatum finished with 27 points, six rebounds, ten assists and one steal in a little over 38 minutes of play. He shot 10-of-21 (47.6 percent) from the field and 4-of-10 (40 percent) from the three-point line. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics in scoring with 28 points, and Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White had 16 points each.

With the win, the Celtics improved to 34-15. Meanwhile, the Pelicans fell to 12-37.

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Jayson Tatum's season with Celtics 

Last week, Tatum was voted in as a starter to his sixth consecutive All-Star game. With Tatum being only 26 years old, it's safe to say there will be plenty more All-Star appearances in the future.

Coming off his first NBA championship, Tatum has continued to put up elite numbers. He's appeared in 45 games this season at a little over 36 minutes per game. He's been averaging 26.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 45.1 percent shooting from the field, 35 percent shooting from the three-point line and 80.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

The Celtics are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference, and six games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in the standings. It's unlikely that the Celtics catch the Cavaliers, but the Celtics are a proven championship team and will be formidable no matter what.