BOSTON — Two de facto playoff games, two wins for the Celtics.
After earning a road victory Monday over the Charlotte Hornets, Boston dispatched the Indiana Pacers 100-87 on Wednesday at TD Garden.
The Pacers cut the Celtics’ 18-point advantage to six entering the fourth quarter, but that’s as close as the visitors would get.
THE ONE-EYEDÂ BIG MAN
Despite a pregame elbow from teammate Shavlik Randolph that left him looking like this:
[tweet https://twitter.com/SeanGrandePBP/status/583399877842837504 align=’center’]
Kelly Olynyk not only suited up for the Celtics, but he also was one of the team’s most effective offensive players. The center scored nine points in one nine-minute stint during the first half, then poured in another 10 in the fourth quarter to finish with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Olynyk also was responsible for three of the Celtics’ six made 3-pointers on the night. His teammates went a combined 3-for-23 from deep.
ADVANTAGE: ZELLER
Just as he did in their most recent matchup last month, Celtics center Tyler Zeller thoroughly outplayed his Pacers counterpart, Roy Hibbert, in the early going. Zeller carried Boston’s offense in the first quarter, scoring 11 of the Celtics’ 22 points on 4-of-5 shooting. Hibbert, meanwhile, failed to record a point, missing each of his four field-goal attempts, and grabbed just one rebound.
Zeller’s production slowed after that opening frame, but he did not miss another shot en route to a 19-point, three-rebound, three-assist effort. Hibbert finished the game 3-for-9 from the floor and 1-for-4 from the free-throw line.
The Celtics also displayed some of the best ball movement they’ve shown in a while, assisting on 17 of their 21 made baskets in the first half — including nine helpers by Evan Turner — and turning the ball over just four times.
Turner finished with 13 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds — his third triple-double since Feb. 25.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
The Brooklyn Nets’ two-point win over the crosstown New York Knicks on Wednesday meant the Celtics remained in ninth place in the Eastern Conference even after this latest victory. Boston trails both Brooklyn and the Miami Heat by one half-game for the final playoff spot,
The Hornets sit 2 1/2 games back of the Celtics in 10th place, and the Pacers sit three games back in 11th.
Up next: Just three home games remain on the Celtics’ regular-season schedule. The first of those comes Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
