BSJ Game Report: Celtics 120, Pacers 95 - Tatum & Brown combine for 61 in blowout win

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

IN A NUTSHELL

Both teams came out shooting 60% in the first quarter, but a late Jayson Tatum layup was his 13th point and it gave Boston a 2 point lead. TJ McConnell kept the Pacers close, especially in the non-Tatum minutes, but Tatum returned to push his total to 21 at the half and the C’s to a halftime lead. The Celtics defense was the story after the half, with Boston pushing off Pacers turnovers and piling up points (mostly, Jaylen Brown piling up 15 points in the quarter). The lead got up 20 for the first time with 9:35 to go. It was 28 by the 8:26 mark. It was garbage time after that.

Box Score 

HEADLINES

Impressive energy: I was very afraid of the “first game back after a long trip” lull that often happens in these situations. The Celtics never showed any of that fatigue, instead generally playing with great energy and pace. 

Attacking the basket: The Celtics put up 42 3-pointers but also 41 shots in the paint, including going 16/25 in the restricted area. This blowout might have come sooner if they didn’t miss a few of those layups early in the game.

Defense first: The Celtics forced 17 turnovers, scoring 21 points off Indiana’s mistakes. They had 4 steals in 4:10 to turn a 3-point game into a 14-point game and start to pull away in the third quarter. 

“Our defensive activity, making a conscious effort to building an awareness of who we are guarding, how much we can help, and when we do bring help, we are bringing it with activity,” Joe Mazzulla said after the game. “Our active hands have been much better and that's something we got to continue.”

This stretches back to the Sacramento game. The Celtics are getting back to their defensive principles. 

TURNING POINT

After a Marcus Smart layup and two Brown free throws, Smart stripped the ball and it fell into Horford’s hands. He then pitched it ahead to Brown, who shoveled a pass over to Tatum for the layup. Tatum then stole the inbounds pass and got it to Brown, who drilled a 3-pointer. That was 5 points in 8 seconds, and it got the game to double digits for the first time. Boston never really looked back. 

“I thought that was one of the better third-quarter starts we've had this season, very intentional, very connected, very physical defensively,” Mazzulla said. “I appreciate the carryover from practice yesterday, the details that were important to win this game.”

SIX UP

Jayson Tatum: This is the guy we want to see every game. This version of Tatum is the one who deserves the accolades and the MVP chants. He took 24 shots, and find his way to 10-13 shooting in the restricted area. That's elite. And he could have easily played better, too, which is wild to say after a 34-point, 7-rebound, 2-assists, 2-steal night. 

This was Tatum’s 40th 30-plus point game, breaking Larry Bird’s record of 39, set in 1987-88.

Jaylen Brown: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists. 15 of his points came in that third-quarter stretch where Boston broke the game wide open. He also had a couple of assists. Brown is playing really well lately, and has been the one constant in a very inconsistent stretch. He is making a strong All-NBA push. 

Derrick White: 22 points and 9 assists for White, and I’m coming around to the thought that we should try to fix what isn't broken with White in the starting lineup. Robert Williams made plenty of noise off the bench while White adds a dimension to this team that makes that starting unit difficult to guard. 

“White is like the ultimate teammate,” Tatum said. “He's one hell of a basketball player, extremely smart on both ends of the floor, can create, pass and shoot. He can be too unselfish sometimes, so (I'm) just encouraging him to be aggressive and be himself. (He) just makes us a much better team."

This is the fifth time this season three Celtics starters have scored 20-plus points in the same game

Robert Williams: Played just 15:30, but he had 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocked shots. Yeesh. 

“Rob is fantastic. Rob is the key,” Brown said. “We’ve just got to keep Rob healthy, keep his mindset strong, keep finding him when he gets to the basket, But he’s such an impactful player on both ends of the floor. So anytime he’s out there he makes our team a lot better.”

This play was my favorite. 

I’ve never seen one teammate block a shot into a fallen teammate’s hands on the floor.

Grant Williams: He’s a changed player. That stretch where he got benched seems to have humbled him (or refocused him). He has gone back to making shots and attacking the closeouts but not trying to do too much on his own. He moved the ball well and, maybe just as importantly, he never got caught up in anything with the officials. He’s just putting his head down and working. 

Marcus Smart: He took 3 shots and scored 6 points but he was a +17 for a reason. 

“When Smart gets out in early transition and forces cross-matches, it really gets us going,” Mazzulla said. “Smart only took three shots today, but his potential assists and what he did to get us in early offense is not on the stat sheet.”

This was very much like an early-season performance for Smart. When they let him run the team and push the pace, they are a very good offense. 

NONE DOWN

Two games in a row? Two games in a row! I’m really impressed with the effort today. I thought everyone came in and made a positive impact on the game. It wasn’t perfect -- the stretch where TJ McConnell kind of dominated the game was less than ideal -- but the Celtics recovered from a couple of downturns in the game, regained their focus, and closed it out strong. 

TOP PLAYS

bucket ➕1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/jZi1Gm8NAp

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 24, 2023

🚨 to beat the buzzer 🚨 pic.twitter.com/ozxH0WgN6k

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 24, 2023

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Sunday will show us if the Celtics have really learned their lesson

They played great against Sacramento to salvage a decent road trip. They came home and played a great game against a team that has given them problems, showing us they can build on what we saw a few days ago. 

The 19-55 San Antonio Spurs come to town on Sunday. This, to me, is the ultimate test. 

The Celtics always seem to relax when they feel like they have things under control. Their last two performances are drawing raves, and deservedly so. But they can undo it all by lazily toying with a bad team and giving them hope and confidence. 

I’ve seen them do it too often to feel good about that game. I’ve seen these guys look great and then trip and land flat on their faces. 

As the old saying goes, once is luck, twice is a coincidence, and three times is a pattern. I’m cautiously optimistic that the message has gotten through to these guys. Sunday presents a trap the Celtics always tend to fall for. If they can avoid it, then maybe the Celtics have turned a corner.