It wasn’t as dramatic as Game 1, but the Boston Celtics will take it.
The Celtics defeated the Indiana Pacers 126-110 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday to take a 2-0 lead as the series heads to Indianapolis. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
After requiring a final-minute meltdown from Indiana on Tuesday, Boston was all business, Jaylen Brown in particular. The hero of Game 1 went off for 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting, scoring at all levels on the court and bothering the Pacers on defense all night.
The scoring output tied a playoff career high.
Brown played a central role in the 20-0 run that put the Celtics in control at the end of the first quarter and the start of the second. The Pacers would cut the lead to as little as two points in the third quarter, but the Celtics kept throwing haymakers and were up by 15 by the end of the frame.
Brown’s co-star Jayson Tatum needed much longer to get going, but still finished with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Derrick White had one of his best nights of the playoffs with 23 points and six assists.
Unfortunately for the Pacers, falling behind 2-0 wasn’t the only loss of the night. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton exited the game in the third quarter and did not return, with Indiana announcing him as out with left leg soreness.
Haliburton had appeared to be dealing with something at halftime, but further replay showed walking away grimacing after an awkward step in the third quarter. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski later reported he was dealing with a hamstring soreness, after missing 10 games with a hamstring strain in the regular season. His health will loom large for a must-win Game 3 in Indiana.
Source Agencies
