Celtics @ Pacers Round 2 Recap

The #Celtics stayed in Indiana to match up against the #Pacers on Tuesday night in what was a rollercoaster game. Both of them got off to an even start with Boston scoring first, a lob pass from Smart to Thompson to set the tone of the game. Thompson and Robert Williams have improved on this side of the game,, and with the addition of Oregon Duck rookie Payton Pritchard, I would expect to see this type of flashy playmaking continue through out the season.

The game

The #Celtics got going and lead by as much as 8 points in the first, at the end of one it was Indiana 26, Boston 31. Indiana came into the second quarter looking and playing more energetically. Victor Oladipo was looking like his old self, weaving his way through defenders and Jayson Tatum started to heat up. A Jevonte Green put back buzzer beater looked to count to put the #Celtics up by Three at the half, but it was waved off. As the teams headed to their locker rooms the score sat at Boston 58 – Indiana 57.

Another Bad Third Quarter

Death, Taxes and the #Celtics not showing up in the 3rd are the only things certain in this life. The Celtics once again came out and looked flat and unmotivated in the third quarter, while Indiana got hot and made the #Celtics pay. Indiana out scored Boston 37-25 in the third. The one bright take away for Boston was Pritchard got to see the floor and made the most of his minuets setting himself up for an iconic fourth quarter that will make him a fan favourite in Bean town.

The Pacers had an 11 point lead to start the 4th quarter, and it was increased to as many as 17. Both teams came out evenly matched energy wise, but at the 8 minute mark the #Celtics decided to play #Celtics basketball. Led by Brown, Tatum and Pritchard they started hitting shots, lobbing up balls like the early 2010’s #Clippers and Tatum played like he was back in the bubble dancing through the paint. The Pacers trimmed the lead down to 2 points with 30 seconds on the clock. The Pacers inbounded the ball out of a timeout, and Jaylen Brown picked it off for an easy bucket. This is where the game turned into free throws and that was ball game. The #Celtics finished the game on a 45-23 run.

Pacers First Loss

This was Indiana’s first lost of the season, so they now hold a record of 3-1 while Boston hit .500 at 2-2. For the C’s Jayson Tatum played 40 minutes and had 27/11/4 and added 3 steals. Brown had 20 points and 4 steals in 34 minutes of action. Smart tallied 17 points and 5 assists. Thompson had an impressive 14/10 Double-Double, which is much needed from him. My player of the game went to Payton Pritchard, the Duck’s rookie played his heart out and made the absolute most out of his minutes. He brought energy when the team needed it and finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal.

Final from Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indiana 111 Boston 116

My Notes

Up first is Payton Pritchard. He is is NBA ready and is looking like one of the top steals of the draft. The 22 year old played all four year’s in college and that can sometimes throw off NBA scout’s and GM’s off players, but not Danny Ainge,. Obviously Danny saw the right stuff in this kid that can carry over to the NBA and it has. Payton was not greedy and looked to pass, and make plays which he did extremely well. This will help the #Celtics big time while Kemba is out, and should carry over when Kemba returns.

Next we saw Jayson Tatum be Jayson Tatum. He has a bag of tricks and used them all to his advantage. For me personally I think Tatum needs to let the game flow to him and not force it onto himself. Jaylen Brown also played well, making shot’s and being a leader on the floor. If you don’t know by now Brown is without a doubt an All-Star player and in my opinion he has been the #Celtics best player so far this season. I have said it a few times that Brown was going to step up a level this season and he has done so.

The defense in this game was at sometimes very impressive, Sabonis was held to 14 points and in their last game on Sunday night he was held to 19. Yes he did stuff the stat box and nearly had a Triple-Double, but for this team to show they can slow down elite big men is a big win for Boston and their big man rotation. The C’s also tried to rob every ball possible, swiping and reaching for a lot of balls, which resulted in 10 team steals. The C’s next game is against Memphis on Wednesday at TD garden. Tip-Off is 7:30 ET.

Cian Pierce

Diehard Boston Sports Fans

Celtics Writer