BSJ Game Report: Boston Celtics 119, Indiana Pacers 100 - Jayson Tatum & Jaylen Brown combine for 67 in rare easy win

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics win over the Indiana Pacers, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics came out blistering hot from deep, which fueled a 35-25 open to the game. They carried that momentum into the second quarter but they ended in typical, gear-grinding fashion. That put an added emphasis on the third quarter and the Celtics responded with a quick 6-0 run and a 33-22 overall frame. They actually coasted through the 4th and were never really threatened.

Box Score

HEADLINES

They kept it simple: Before the game, Ime Udoka talked about the importance of “hitting singles” and making the simple reads on offense. The Celtics opened the game doing that, making quick decisions and moving the ball. It helps when the shots are falling, for once. Boston shot 18-38 from deep. 

Maybe the Jays CAN play together: I hate when I get super technical but try to follow me here: maybe having Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum on the same team is good? I’ll let you chew on that for a minute …

… So yeah having Brown and Tatum on the same team is good. They combined for 67 points and they did it every which way you could ask for. They bombed 3-pointers, they attacked, they pushed in transition, they got to the line. They did it all.

A rare breather: This is their third win in a row, tying their season high. For once, they can have a pretty comfortable night and flight to Philly.

TURNING POINT

Al Horford hit two big buckets out of halftime and then challenged a Domantas Sabonis 3-pointer, which led to a Dennis Schröder jumper and quick 6-0 run to start the third quarter. After Indy cut Boston’s lead from double digits down to 5 going into the half, this was the exact answer Boston needed. The lead only briefly dipped below 10 before Boston finished off a 14-4 run to start the game and keep the Pacers at arm’s length. 

“I loved it. Obviously came out in the third quarter really focused,” Ime Udoka said. “We gave away a double-digit lead (in the first half). And really, when they ramped up their defensive pressure when we missed a few shots, we started to go iso heavy and we wanted to get back to what we did. Showed them clips, obviously, and saw what we did in the first quarter and most of the second. And to our credit, we got stops and got out and ran. A few quick baskets, called a timeout, and it felt like the momentum was back in our hands.”

FIVE UP

Jaylen Brown: Brown’s footwork stood out to me tonight. Offensively, he was balanced. Defensively, he was precise. He was dancing out there and it showed up in the stat sheet where Brown shot 7-11 from 3. 

Jayson Tatum: He and Brown both shot 11-19 on the night. Tatum was 4-9 from deep but both mixed it up nicely, scoring at all three levels with strong efficiency. Both did it on the defensive end a well, especially Tatum with 2 steals and 2 blocks.

Robert Williams: Not a huge statistical night but he was in the middle of the early success. He was very active on the boards and it was very clear, especially in the first half, that when he left the floor, things got a bit disjointed. 

Dennis Schröder: Starter Schröder plays well. 7-11 from the field, 4-5 from deep, 23 points. There were a couple of three pointers that made me literally say “oh I don’t like that shot,” but they went in. He had a hot shooting night.

Al Horford: Still can’t hit from deep, which is a problem, but he really settled the team down out of halftime. His early third quarter run was critical to the blowout. Also, he had a very pretty drive from the corner which ended in a Grant Williams layup. 

ONE DOWN

Payton Pritchard: He played 11:27 in his return from Health & Safety so I’m not ragging on the guy. He just looked rusty.

TOP PLAYS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER 

- Could water ACTUALLY be finding its level? 

Could it be that, halfway through the season, there is a course correction in the team’s shooting? Boston is 22nd in the NBA in 3-point percentage (33.9%), but they're 9th in January (37.7%) and 6th (40%) over their 3-game winning streak. 

“Obviously, it's great,” Brown said. “But a couple games, you gotta keep going. We can't be satisfied and then take our foot off the gas or lose our edge. We gotta continue to keep doing what we've been doing and continue to be focused and determined every single night to knock shots down and limit our opponents. It takes a lot. It takes a lot of mental focus. It takes a lot of preparation. It takes consistency and I think we're capable of doing that. It's time to start growing up, maturing, everybody being on one accord and playing some good basketball.”

I’m not trying to take too much from a stretch like this, but the Celtics fortunes have been so bad for so long, maybe this finally a little bit of luck turning in their favor. 

- If they can just fix their transition game, they’ll start to string some wins together

A huge part of this game was Boston’s ability to get out in transition without it turning into some Inspector Clouseau-slash-slapstick vaudevillian mess.

Seriously, all that's been missing in Boston’s fast break has been bottles of seltzer and banana cream pies. 

In this one, they made simple plays and it paid off. 

“I think just focusing on kicking the ball ahead,” Tatum said. “When we get a step, it doesn't have to be a home run pass, it can just be somebody ahead of you, throw it up to them. Just put some pressure on the defense, obviously.”

If there's one thing the past few games has highlighted is how simply making the easy play and stringing together a bunch of uncomplicated decisions actually works. I don’t know if that was the key all along. Hopefully that's the key to actually building on something. 

We’ll find out against Philadelphia. Three wins against New York and Indiana twice are what’s supposed to happen. Can they step up and give the Sixers and Joel Embiid, who is playing at an MVP level, a run?