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The Boston Celtics are on a roll as of late, and the visiting Indiana Pacers proved to be their most recent victims. In a show of impeccable ball-movement and sharing the offensive baton, the Celtics beat Indiana 108-135 to take a convincing home victory.
The final Celtics total of 135 was their highest for this season so far, and also the highest that Indiana has allowed any of their opponents to put up this year. They have now won seven of their last nine games ever since their team meeting back in December. The Celtics are currently down at the 5th spot with a 24-15(0.615) record, but with a majority of the upcoming games against losing teams, that can change.
On the other hand, the Indiana Pacers drop 2.5 games below the East leaders in Toronto, though still 2.5 games ahead of the team they lost to. The third spot on the East leaderboard is where they are living right now with a 27-13(0.675) win-loss record next to their name. After winning six in a row, the Pacers have now lost two of their last three matchups.
Let's draw out some key takeaways from this Pacers' blowout loss by the surging Celtics' side.
#1 Marcus Morris puts together an almost-perfect stat line while Jaylen Brown sparks off the bench
Marcus Morris and Jaylen Brown were tied for a game-high total as they combined for 44 points against the Pacers. The Celtic half of the Morris brothers made all of his three attempts from distance along with netting all seven free-throws he was awarded. He missed only a couple of shots on the night, shooting 6-of-8 from the field and committed not even a single turnover throughout.
Even though Brown came off the bench in a game where Boston were coasting, he got the most playing minutes(29) than any other Celtic player and finished with 22 points. Along with shooting a decent 7-of-12 from the field, Jaylen also contributed with 7 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a blocked shot.
#2 The Pacers' bench was outscored 73-47 by the Celtics' reserves
As the Celtics ended their three-game skid against the Pacers to get their fourth straight win, Kyrie Irving - like many others - rested throughout the last period while the bench took care of the game.
Every player on the roster contributed in terms of buckets, led by Brown's 22 off the bench. Reserves Rozier and Theis combined for 24 points while Gordon Hayward shot 5-of-7 from the field and chipped in with 14 points of his own.
"They just beat us in every category today," Oladipo said. "Everything you can imagine, they beat us in."
Seven Celtics players ended up scoring in double digits. In contrast, O'Quinn and Evans were the only Pacers' reserves to score at least 10 points. Starters Bogdanovic and Collison could not even cross the double-digit barrier in a game where the Pacers could never lead the scoreline.
#3 Boston shot the ball to perfection along with recording 30+ assists for the game
The Celtics shot the life out of the visiting Pacers side, dropping a blazing 56.8% shots from the field. Their 50-of-88 showing as a collective unit against Indiana was fueled by the stars and reserves combined.
Morris and Hayward attempted and made five three-pointers between them on a night when the Celtics shot an impressive 14-of-32(43.8%) from the distance. Their opponents spent a respectable 43% shooting night from the field but it just wasn't enough.
Boston's ball-movement is what really drained the Pacers defense and led to open shots via extra passes. The team combined for 32 assists on the night, with this being their fifth straight game having 30 assists or more.
"We're all understanding that we're trying to play faster and the ball movement has been working for us," said Al Horford. "It keeps the defense on their toes, really makes the other team work. It's kind of contagious."
The aggressive mentality to share the ball is what led them into piling 68 points in the first half, one shy of their season-high of points in a halftime set.
