Celtics Wrap: Boston Plays To Script, Crushes Scrappy Pacers

The Boston Celtics defeated the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, leaving TD Garden with a 120-95 victory.

The C’s improved to 51-23, while the Pacers fell to 33-41.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics played tremendously on offense throughout Friday’s game, it just took a while for the defense to catch up.

Boston gave up 32 points in the opening frame, before locking things down to allow a combined 44 points over the next two quarters. Throughout those first 36 minutes, the Celtics were impeccable offensively, scoring 92 points on 44% shooting from the floor.

It was almost as if Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla wrote the script, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown carrying the brunt of the load while Boston built its lead and Derrick White helping facilitate the closing minutes.

This game was a thumping of an inferior team in Indiana, and a pretty one at that for Boston. That’s all the Celtics can ask for as they close the season looking to compete for the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Brown’s explosion in the third quarter essentially sealed this one. He scored 15 of his 27 points in the frame, adding seven rebounds and four assists.

— White has become a legitimate third option for Boston, stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis. The 28-year-old finished with 22 points, nine assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block.

— Tatum did his thing again. The 2023 NBA All-Star Game MVP finished with 34 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals.

WAGER WATCH
Brown was given -125 odds by DraftKings Sportsbook to surpass 35.5 total points, rebounds and assists. The all-around performance was enough to net $100 bettors a $180 payout.

UP NEXT
The Celtics will play host to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday. Tipoff from TD Garden is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.