Everything you need to know about the Celtics beating the Pacers 135-108 in quickie form, with BSJ insight and analysis:
Box Score
HEADLINES
An offensive show: The Celtics had a couple things going their way against a Pacers team that has been the second-best defense in the NBA all season before the tip. Indiana was coming off a back-to-back in Cleveland and was missing starting center Myles Turner (sore shoulder) but Boston still managed to play some of the prettiest basketball they have all season against an elite opponent. They scored 103 points through three quarters in the blowout victory that included seven different Celtics scoring in double figures for the second straight game. Marcus Morris led the way with a team-high 22 points while Jaylen Brown pitched in with 22 points off the bench, as the hosts pulled away with a massive 39-point second quarter outburst.
Four straight wins: The trick or treat Celtics are starting to look like the team we all thought they would before the season even began. Indiana has been the hottest team in the NBA over the past month (17-3) and the Celtics looked to be playing at a different level for the better part of 48 minutes in this one, getting whatever they want on the offensive end while also looking active on the defensive end with deflections and rotations. With four straight wins overall and five straight at the TD Garden, all of which have been by double digits, the progress this team is showing right now is sustainable as this is the best they’ve looked all year against an elite team.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics and Pacers were tied up at 35 in the opening minutes of the second quarter before most of the starters returned to the game and propelled Boston to a 33-15 run over the final 8:15 of the quarter. Jaylen Brown (13 points) and Al Horford (seven assists) were catalysts for the outburst which produced a 39-point quarter against the second-best defense in the NBA.
TWO UP
Jayson Tatum: The second-year forward broke out of his shooting funk right from the opening tip, scoring nine of Boston’s first 11 points as the hosts jumped all over the Pacers early. He faced Victor Oladipo in several individual matchups but managed to score a team-high 15 points before intermission on a tidy 7-of-10 line with a mix of attacking the basket and pull-ups that left the Pacers struggling to find an answer for him all night.
Jaylen Brown: The swingman had mismatches all night long against a Pacers lineup that was shorty on speedy defensive wings and he took advantage. With Thaddeus Young and T.J. Leaf trying to slow him down, Brown went directly to the basket, making four of his first six shots while also drawing three shooting fouls in the first half alone on the way to 13 points before the break before finishing with 22.
ONE DOWN
Third quarter fouling: The Celtics were playing terrific basketball on both ends of the floor for the better part of 48 minutes but they piled up nine fouls in the frame, helping the Pacers stay in the game for most of the frame with ten trips to the free throw line. A very minor nitpick on a night where almost everything went right for Boston.
TOP PLAY
Kyrie's got 'em on skates ⛸https://t.co/Bgd4V3Netg pic.twitter.com/cRUse9Yhf5
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) January 10, 2019
