After a contested first quarter (27-25), which saw the Pacers take the lead by continuing to be skillful in shooting (58%) but also not very attentive (6 lost balls, 6 offensive rebounds conceded) , it was the Celtics who took matters into their own hands. In the wake of an unleashed Jaylen Brown, Boston started the second quarter with a 17-0 run to take a 15-length lead (42-27)!
It was a winning shot from Aaron Nesmith that stopped the bleeding. Then, it was 12 points from Pascal Siakam (28 points, 13/17 on shots) well served by a more aggressive Tyrese Haliburton (10 points, 8 assists), which allowed Indiana to finish the half with a 22-12 , taking advantage of a loss of concentration by the Celtics, to return to the locker room with only six points behind (57-51).
Pascal Siakam scores 10 of Indiana's first 15 points in the third quarter, and the Pacers come back on the heels of the Celtics in a disillusioned TD Garden (68-66). Joe Mazzulla's men pulled themselves together and responded with an almost perfect five minutes. They pound the Pacers in the paint and shoot 8/9 to go from +2 to +14 (87-73). The bad news continued for Indiana when Tyrese Haliburton had to give up his place for good in the third period, with a hamstring injury.
Derrick White (23 points, 6 assists), Jayson Tatum (23 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists), and Jrue Holiday (15 points, 10 assists) then drove the point home at the start of the last period despite the efforts of Andrew Nembhard ( 16 points, 5 assists). 3-pointers from each of them increase the gap to +19 while the Pacers continue to lose balls (113-94). The Celtics will therefore travel to Indianapolis, with two victories in advance, against the Pacers who may have to do without their best player.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Jaylen Brown sets the tone. Like Kyrie Irving the day before, Brown scored 24 points in the first half by systematically attacking the opposing racket. The Celtics star, who was not elected to one of the three “All NBA” teams, scored 17 points in the second quarter at 5/6 in the paint and 4/6 on free throws to allow Boston to take control of the match. His teammates followed suit and the Celtics finished with 54 points in the paint at 73% success, an advantage of +20 in this area. Indiana's defense has no answer for Brown, who scored 66 points in the first two games on over 50% shooting.
– The Pacers continue to lose balls. This season, Indiana had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA. In the first two rounds of the playoffs, only 11% of their possessions ended in turnovers. During Game 1 (21 lost balls), this percentage rose to 20%. During Game 2 (16 lost balls), it was 17%. A mark much too high to hope to beat Boston. These losses of balls were not always punished by the Celtics but they allowed them to find their rhythm. Myles Turner (8) and Aaron Nesmith (7) are the two Pacers with the most turnovers after two games.
– Tyrese Haliburton and the curse of the Celtics. On January 8 against the Celtics at home, Tyrese Haliburton injured the hamstring in his left leg. He would miss 10 games and be a shadow of his former self for the majority of the second half of the season. Last night, during the third quarter, the Pacers leader was injured again in the same place. If the injury was much less spectacular than the one in January, it could condemn the Pacers to playing without their best player if it is even a minor tear. After a good first match which ended badly with several lost balls which allowed the Celtics to snatch overtime, Haliburton was more discreet this night. Unlike Game 1, this time the Celtics attacked him relentlessly and successfully.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
