BOSTON — Jaylen Brown, more than any other Celtic, sets the temperature for their energy, pace and focus. He’ll often make proclamations about how he wanted to see Boston attack the game afterward, whether successful or not in doing so. On Christmas, he recorded the Celtics’ first two steals in the final three minutes — too late. Two days later, he ran away with his second with enough time to slowly set up a right-handed windmill dunk. Boston ran away with the game by halftime.
The Celtics won 142-105, shaking off losses in three of their last four that Joe Mazzulla blamed on the offense. He admitted the team suffered lapses against the Sixers, and in other spots, to begin the year before the team focused on lost fundamentals offensively in its shootaround on Friday morning. While 20 threes couldn’t save them on Christmas, stronger ball control, offensive rebounding and Brown’s whopping 33 points kept the Pacers at arm’s length — and further — throughout a get right game.
“I would never say that we’re not motivated,” Mazzulla said. “I think it’s m0re the details, at times, the communication, at times. I don’t question the intrinsic motivation of our guys where we’re at. I don’t think that’s the case at all. I think it’s easy to look at one game and say it’s the defense. Just two games ago, we dominated Chicago defensively, we had two 25-point quarters, so I just think when you’re in a tough stretch and when it’s not going well, the easiest thing for the untrained eye to see if defense, effort and motivation. Those are just words that people throw around. I think the things that we really have to get better at is what we focused on today, situational defense and and 10-15 possessions were a part of that.”
Brown’s breakout slam came in rapid succession after a second chance driving dunk as part of a 9-for-9 start where he scored 21 points in 16 minutes. Brown and Jayson Tatum played the entire first quarter together for only the second time this season while Tatum’s stint extended into the second for two minutes. Brown relieved him after a two minute breather and kept his tear going, scoring on three straight possessions midway through the frame as Boston shot ahead, 52-34, after the score stood tied, 11-11, early. The Pacers, on a back-to-back and without Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin and Andrew Nembhard, started 10-of-25 from the field and 2-of-11 from three. They didn’t attempt a free throw in the first quarter and Tyrese Haliburton contributed two points.
Tatum rolled early, too, with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, two assists and a pair of steals. Sam Hauser, who started after speaking about continued frustrations with his lingering back injury before the game, opened 0-for-5 before righting himself with a pull-up mid ranger. He struggled to score (2-8 FG, 0-5 3PT) while adding a pair of assists in winning minutes. There weren’t many losing ones on Friday, the first of two meetings between Boston and Indiana that continue on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Payton Pritchard returned to form and led an energetic offensive rebounding effort with five of Boston’s 16, two coming on a third try layup that got the crowd going. He also blocked TJ McConnell, his fifth rejection of the season, and fed Brown for two of his finishes in his second quarter tear. Boston built a 28-point advantage by halftime, Pritchard helping the Celtics outscore Indiana by 20 in his 18 minutes through halftime, when Boston led 67-45.
Jordan Walsh hit both three-pointers he attempted in his return to rotation minutes after making a brief appearance on Christmas. He aided rebounds on either end of the floor in that stint, and got involved quickly in the second quarter with a stop on Thomas Bryant alongside his catch-and-shoot three seconds into his night. His on-ball defense bothered the Pacers’ front court that dove into Jarace Walker, Johnny Furphy and Bryant minutes. Walsh hit his second three to cap an arena-rocking third quarter where Boston paraded to the free throw line 11 times. Brown added two steals and three triples in the second half before stepping off the floor with 44 points on 16-of-24 shooting to a standing ovation, improving to 32.2% this season with a 6-of-11 night from deep.
- Kristaps Porzingis missed his first game due to an injury this season, the left ankle sprain he suffered on Christmas, rather than a scheduled rest day on a back-to-back. He had exited two games, one against Memphis following a left ankle sprain that he returned from and finished the game, and another at Washington with a heel contusion that he missed the rest of the game with before playing four days later. Time off benefited him following those ailments, while this time Boston had only one rest day. He was visible in the weight room on Friday morning after shootaround, and finished the first half in Wednesday’s loss after tweaking it, a positive sign alongside him exiting the locker room without any visible limitations.
- Jrue Holiday’s absence marked his fifth of the year with knee and shoulder ailments, the latter knocking him out of back-to-back games including Christmas. Mazzulla said before Friday’s game that Holiday manages his body well and that the injuries haven’t impacted him too much. Holiday has averaged 12.2 points per game on 44.8% shooting (32.6% 3PT).
- Drew Peterson and Anton Watson stayed with the Celtics while Maine began its road trip at Grand Rapids on Friday. Peterson hit a fourth quarter three while Watson wasn’t activated for the game.
