The Celtics are championship hopefuls. All the Pelicans are contending for is the No. 1 draft pick.

You wouldn’t know it by watching either of their two meetings this season, both of which were decided in the final seconds.

After escaping with a one-point home win over New Orleans on Jan. 12, Boston needed a buzzer-beating game-winner by Jayson Tatum to take Friday’s rematch 118-116 at the Smoothie King Center.

The 20-foot jumper with 0.1 seconds remaining capped a 27-point night for Tatum, who added 10 assists, six rebounds and one steal.

Co-star Jaylen Brown scored a team-high 28 points — including a go-ahead field goal with 34 seconds left — with Derrick White adding 16. Kristaps Porzingis finished with 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, four blocks and three steals. Backup center Luke Kornet scored 11 points off the bench, with seven coming in the fourth quarter.

The shorthanded Pelicans got a monster game from Trey Murphy III, who dominated the Celtics’ defense with 40 points on 15-of-20 shooting, including 8-of-12 from 3-point range. Reserve guard Jose Alvarado added 20 points for New Orleans, which fell to 12-37 with the loss.

The 34-15 Celtics will visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday before heading to Cleveland on Tuesday to face the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers. The Cavs lead the defending champions by 5 1/2 games in the East standings.

New Orleans trailed 22-21 when Dejounte Murray suffered a non-contact lower leg injury and had to be helped to the locker room. Murray, who scored 26 points and narrowly missed a triple-double in the teams’ first matchup at TD Garden, did not return. ESPN reported postgame that Murray tore his Achilles.