The Boston Celtics secured a comfortable 126-110 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They now have a 2-0 lead in the series and will travel to Indiana to continue their pursuit of making another trip to the NBA Finals. Jaylen Brown was the star on the night for the Celtics as he scored 40 points on 51.9% shooting from the field. He looked on fire right from the tip-off and the Pacers seemed to have no answer to his exploits in Game 2.
Jayson Tatum and Derrick White also had impactful performances for the Celtics as they scored 23 points each. Jrue Holiday was at his efficient best, scoring 15 points on 6-7 shooting. The veteran made 10 assists to help the team get to an emphatic win over the fiery Pacers team. Boston once again made things extremely difficult for Tyrese Haliburton as they kept forcing the ball out of his hands throughout the game. He managed to only add 10 points, but Haliburton facilitated his teammates well with 8 assists on the night. The 24-year-old went to the locker room in the third quarter due to an injury and was ruled out of the game after that.
With Haliburton out, the Pacers’ chances of turning things around became even more difficult. They cut down the deficit to 6 points at one point in time, but the Boston Celtics kept pilling pressure and eventually took the game away from them towards the end of the third quarter. Pascal Siakam had a highly efficient 28-point performance, but it proved to be valiant due to the lack of help he was getting from the others on the Pacers.
Boston Celtics are exactly where they want to be in the series
The win over the Pacers was the Boston Celtics’ first Game 2 win in this year’s playoffs. They will now head to Indiana with a 2-0 lead, which is a great position to be in for any NBA team. However, the Pacers know a thing or two about coming back in the series from this point. Rick Carlisle’s men were 0-2 down in the second round against the New York Knicks. However, that did not stop them from making a stellar comeback and taking a 4-3 win in the series.
There are a few concerns for the Pacers in the upcoming games as they still are not sure about Tyrese Haliburton’s injury. The guard walked out of Game 2 due to an injury, if he is unable to make it for Game 3, Indiana’s chances will further decrease.
Boston has managed to do a great job attacking the Pacers in the first two games and despite media criticism, the fact that they have a 2-0 lead is a testament to how high their standards are. Jaylen Brown has played a big role in the Celtics’ run in the postseason. He has averaged 23.4 PPG on 54.8% shooting from the field, which is a career-best for him.
To add to their opposition’s misery, the likes of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White have also been stellar for the Boston Celtics throughout the playoffs. Heading to Indiana, the team will be confident of wrapping the series up quickly. They are still not fully fit as Kristaps Porzingis is ruled out due to an injury he suffered in the first round. The seventeen-time champions will be looking to finish the series against Indy quickly as this will give Porzingis some more time to rest and get back in time for the NBA Finals.
