Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over the Pacers, with BSJ insight and analysis.
IN A NUTSHELL
The Pacers came out blistering hot from 3, but the C’s recovered to keep the deficit at nine heading into the second quarter. Things got worse for Boston as they went ice-cold while the Pacers kept up the hot shooting, taking a 20-point lead. Joe Mazzulla benched his starters after a lazy start to the third, and the bench unit got it back to single digits. The Celtics dominated the fourth quarter to get their third straight win.
HEADLINES
- Mazzulla’s “great call:” The Celtics came out of the locker room at halftime with the wrong energy, giving up three offensive rebounds in less than three minutes, which prevented them from capitalizing on a slow shooting start to the half by the Pacers. So Mazzulla called a timeout, benched his starters, and watched his second unit completely change the game. After the game, Jaylen Brown said he thought the Celtics were throwing in the towel, but instead it worked out perfectly, calling it a “great call by Joe”
- Hugo Gonzalez is special: I can’t wait for all the podcasts re-drafting the 2024 NBA draft in a few years. I don’t know where Gonzalez is going to end up, but it won’t be 28th, that's for sure. Once again, he was a =/- monster, leading the team at +21. He played almost the entire second half and was an absolute menace.
- 3-point variance: It should come as no surprise that the Pacers led 18 in a half in which they shot 12-20 from 3, but lost the second half in which they shot 1-20. That's right … ONE for TWENTY. That's 5% shooting from 3 after hitting 60% from deep. Yes, water tends to find its level, but I’ve never seen it hit its level that hard.
TURNING POINT
We all know what it is. Mazzulla benched his starters early in the third, down 69-49. Boston outscored Indiana 54-26 the rest of the way. You rarely see a turnaround quite like that.
THINGS I LIKED
- Bench energy: This is the third straight game that the bench impacted in a big way. They combined for 32 points in a 103 point game. Even I can do the math there and say they scored almost a third of Boston’s points.
- Joe Mazzulla, pressing the right buttons again: I’ve been saying he’s a good coach from the beginning. People wanted to see if he could coach up this ragtag group before determining if he’s a good coach or not. I think we have our answer.
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