Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 114-111 win over the Pacers with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
Celtics barely avert nightmare finish: Wins have not come easy for the Boston Celtics in the past two weeks and the same rang true on Tuesday night in Indiana. The visitors surrendered a 21-2 run midway through the fourth quarter, blowing a 17-point lead in the process before recovering in the final two minutes to hold on for a 114-111 win. Jayson Tatum led the way with 30 points while Gordon Hayward pitched in with 27 points and 10 rebounds to carry the scoring for a Boston starting five that had five players finish in double figures despite missing Jaylen Brown (hamstring).
Victor Oladipo had a team-high 27 points for the hosts, scoring nearly half of them in the fourth quarter comeback for the Pacers before big baskets from Daniel Theis (20 points), Marcus Smart (16 points) and Tatum down the stretch enabled the C’s to rally from a three-point deficit in the final two minutes and secure the needed road win.
The victory pulled Boston within three games of the No. 2 seed with a trip to Milwaukee looming on Thursday.
Another big night for a backcourt scorer: The Celtics have been roasted by the likes of Donovan Mitchell, Caris LaVert, Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul in the last two weeks and they found themselves giving up a big night once again to a guard on Tuesday in Oladipo. The former All-Star is still trying to regain his rhythm after returning last month from a lengthy absence following knee surgery but Boston’s backcourt let him go off for 12 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter, keying a huge comeback that fell just short late. Big minutes for the starters combined with Walker playing at less than full strength are clearly taking a toll at Boston’s ability to lockdown elite scorers and it almost cost them another win on Tuesday night.
TURNING POINT
After giving up a 21-2 run over a six-minute span in the fourth quarter, Daniel Theis stopped the bleeding with a clutch 3-point shot off a Gordon Hayward dish to tie the game up. The Celtics regained control from there in the final minute with a couple big makes from Jayson Tatum and Marcus Smart along with stops.
TWO UP
Gordon Hayward: The swingman put together his first 25+ point and 10 rebound game in a Celtics uniform, the first time he’s posted those numbers since December 2016. He also led the team with five assists with his best individual outing since the first game after the All-Star Break
Jayson Tatum: The All-Star forward scored 30 points for the ninth time in his last 14 games, shooting an efficient 50 percent from the field while taking a team-high six free throws.
TWO DOWN
Kemba Walker: The point guard continued his shooting slump, knocking down just 3-of-12 attempts on the night in the midst of 30 minutes. He clearly isn't moving as well as earlier in the season and has now shot below 40 percent from the field in 10 straight games.
Bench production: Just 10 combined points from Boston’s bench on 3-of-14 shooting makes the need for Jaylen Brown’s return to the lineup more pressing than ever.
TOP PLAY
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— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 11, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Blown leads are officially a cause of concern for Boston: Blown leads happen almost on a nightly basis around the NBA but they are becoming too routine for a good Boston team over the past month. Tuesday marked the eighth straight game that the Celtics have led by 11 or more, but they have lost four of those contests overall and were in grave danger of making tonight No. 5 with how the fourth quarter went. The C’s lack of offensive execution during a lot of the Pacers’ 21-2 run was concerning with too much isolation standing out while Kemba Walker looked more vulnerable than ever on the defensive end against an elite guard. The return of Jaylen Brown later this week will provide some assistance on this front and give Brad Stevens the option of taking Walker off the floor while he’s trying to regain some strength and rhythm in his knee. Tonight could be a turning point with the C’s recovering in crunch time enough for the win or just is another sign that this team is becoming more vulnerable than ever in crunch time situations.
Facing this Pacers team in the first round may be the Celtics most realistic best-case scenario: The Sixers may be a complete mess from an injury and chemistry standpoint still but the Pacers still look like a far better option for this Celtics team to match up with during the first round. Malcolm Brogdon (torn quad) is unlikely to be his former self by the time the postseason rolls around and there are just not enough quality wing defenders on this Pacer roster that can handle Tatum, Hayward and Brown on a consistent basis. The Pacers will put up some fight but the talent advantage is certainly in the C’s column, something that can’t be said for sure in a Boston-Philadelphia series if Embiid and Ben Simmons are back healthy ahead of the postseason. The Sixers have one of the easiest schedules in the NBA down the stretch so holding onto to the No. 3 seed for the C’s needs to be a priority to set up the easiest matchup of the 3-6 seeding.