The Boston Celtics destroy the Indiana Pacers, 142-105

The Boston Celtics hosted the Indiana Pacers on Friday, December 27, the first of two matchups at TD Garden, Boston. For coach Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers, they come to Boston with five injuries with Isaiah Jackson, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin all ruled unavailable before tip-off. Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) and Jrue Holiday (shoulder) have both been ruled out for Boston. Holiday’s unavailability saw Sam Hauser enter the starting lineup for the C’s. Hauser’s starting nod is notable as he has been in and out of the lineup with back injuries of his own and struggles with form, going goalless in 3 of his last 4 games.

Jayson Tatum started the game strong and took it physical to Bennedict Mathurin for the strong and-1 post finish. Mathurin got going early for Indy and paced his team with 2 of his team’s first 4 buckets. Jaylen Brown was perfect to start the game in this one as he went three for three with a pair of triples. Derrick White also got in on the action as Indy fell off him to hit his second bucket and his second three-pointer as Boston led early 24-13.

Boston continued to pile on the points behind a crossover step back long Jaylen Brown two and then a Jordan Walsh three as Boston stretched the early lead to 12 points. Brown continued to excel with another three-pointer and a steal and a two-handed breakaway dunk to record his fifteenth first quarter point on a perfect 6/6 from the field. The Indiana Pacers entered this game on the second night of a back-to-back and it showed early as Boston was the hungrier team and got to the loose balls first. The Celtics led 39-22 after the first quarter.

David Butler II-Imagn Images

Boston started the second quarter very slowly, going scoreless for the first 3 minutes and turning the ball over several times. Fortunately for the Celtics, Indy wasn’t much better, with just one three-point basket in that stretch. The crowd woke up well and truly at the game’s 6-minute mark when JB drove past two perimeter defenders and dropped the hammer on top of an outstretched Myles Turner. Brown, not to be outdone, then stole the ball again at midcourt, leading to a dunk contest-worthy windmill jam with no Pacer player within fifty feet of the basket.

Jayson Tatum would then return to the game after a nice break to hit his first shot, a three-pointer in the corner. Al Horford then added a triple of his own as Boston posted a 20-point lead in the first half at the 2 minute 30 second mark. The first half would end 67-42 with Boston in complete control, led by Jayson Tatum (10 pts, 10 boards) and Jaylen Brown (23 points, 3/5 from three).

After the Christmas Day disaster, Al Horford cited “inconsistent effort” after the game after the brutal loss to conference rival Philadelphia 76ers. Boston was looking to get back into shape before facing a 4-game west coast road trip in early January. The third quarter proved to be just the test as Boston continued to take advantage of Indiana’s lack of perimeter size, picking the Pacers apart with crisp passing and good tempo en route to a massive 31-point lead with 5 minutes left in the third.

David Butler II-Imagn Images

Indiana came into Boston playing 4 games over 6 nights and the fatigue started to show late in the third quarter with Indy a step slow, Boston would hit the penalty kill bonus with 4 and a half minutes left in the quarter. To Indiana’s credit, they didn’t let the lead slip away as the quarter would end 103-78, Boston by 25 points.

JB recorded his fortieth point of the game, his highest score of the season, with eleven minutes left in the game. Eventually, Joe Mazzulla would replace Brown to a standing ovation and a 44 point night, shooting 66% from the field on 6-11 from three. Rick Carlisle would go to his deep bench around the 8-minute mark and give his younger guys a test against Boston. Payton Pritchard would add 18 points, 10 assists and 8 rebounds; Jayson Tatum had a double-double night with 22 points and 13 rebounds; Al Horford chipped in 13 points, while Derrick White added 9 points and 6 assists.

Drew Peterson, Jordan Walsh and Jaden Springer all saw significant wasted minutes for Boston to end the game. Celtics, who are now only a few games ahead of 3rd place New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference needed a comfortable win, and they got that tonight behind a well-rounded team performance. Boston will next face these Pacers again at home on Sunday, December 29 at 18.00.