BOSTON — The Boston Celtics took a 2-0 first-round NBA Playoff lead over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night at TD Garden thanks to Kyrie Irving’s 37 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
Irving had 28 points heading into the final quarter, but turned it up a notch down the stretch, controlling the pace of the game while blowing by whatever Indiana threw at him with ease.
But Irving wasn’t alone. Jayson Tatum would finish with 26 points on the night (10 in the fourth quarter), including the game-sealing dunk with 8.8 seconds left.
However, the most important stretch from the 21-year-old came prior to the slam. With 50.8 seconds remaining, Tatum knocked down a corner 3-pointer (after a great pass from Jaylen Brown) to put the Celtics up 92-91. On his next trip down the floor Tatum drove to the hoop, but showed tremendous patience by waiting for the play to develop. In waiting, he allowed Gordon Hayward to slip baseline, where Tatum found him for the wide open layup.
Despite his efforts, Tatum downplayed the sequence, giving credit to his teammates.
“That was a hell of a pass by (Jaylen Brown) and I was able to knock it down,” Tatum said. “Gordon (Hayward) made a great cut. We were just all on the same page towards the end. We were making great plays, sharing the ball and getting stops.”
Tatum and Irving combined for 63 points on 56.5 percent shooting, while hitting nine 3-pointers. The only other Celtic in double figures was Hayward, who finished with 13 points.
Despite the chaotic fourth quarter, Irving said it was “pretty peaceful,” but he pointed out how great it was to be on the parquet during the postseason.
“It felt good to be here, in this position, playing in this arena,” Irving said. “Finally getting a chance to suit up for the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, there’s nothing like it.”
Here are some other notes from Wednesday’s Pacers-Celtics Game 2:
— Here’s a peek at one of Irving’s buckets down the stretch. He was in full-on takeover mode.
— Mad Brad Stevens made an appearance during Wednesday’s second half. After a missed moving screen call, the Celtics head coach clearly was irate. The next foul call pushed him over the edge, which caused him to receive a rare tech.
— The Pacers were up 12 points with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Boston began the quarter with an 18-3 run and finished the game on a 10-0 stretch. A strong finish to say the least. Stevens said they took it one possession at a time when facing the 12-point deficit.
“Continue to play the game one possession at a time,” Stevens said. “The group at the start of the fourth kickstarted us off well. And then some of our starters came back in and played really well.”
— Al Horford was questionable with an illness heading into Game 2, but decided to give it a go.
The Celtics big man was a non-factor for the majority of the first half, but Horford played 16 straight minutes between the third and fourth quarters. All four of his points came in the game’s final frame. Having Horford as a central figure in the offense created so much flexibility for the C’s offense. From sealing off Bojan Bogdanovic outside the paint, to working the ball around the free throw line, Horford was a quiet difference-maker for Boston’s closing effort.
Brown called Horford a “true warrior and a true professional” after the win.
— Marcus Smart was on the bench for Game 2 and was very involved in many of the second-half huddles. He seemed rather excited following the win:
— The Celtics head to Indiana to face the Pacers in Game 3 on Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.
