Celtics’ Bench Sparks Massive Comeback Vs. Pacers, Extends Winning Streak

It wasn’t easy, but the Boston Celtics notched their third straight win on Monday night, beating the Indiana Pacers 103-95 at TD Garden.

Despite entering the game as heavy home favorites, the Celtics got off to a terrible start against one of the NBA’s worst teams. Boston trailed by nine points at the end of the first quarter, 18 points at halftime and 20 points in the third quarter before finally righting the ship, outscoring the Pacers by 26 points in the second half and 16 in the fourth quarter alone.

After trailing for most of the night, the Celtics finished the game strong on both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter, outscoring Indiana 29-13 in the lopsided final period. Boston’s bench sparked the comeback after Joe Mazzulla briefly pulled his starters in the third quarter.

Jaylen Brown once again led the way on offense for the Celtics, topping 30 points for the seventh straight game. He finished with 31 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two blocks in his 17th 30-point game of the season — second-most in the NBA behind reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Derrick White scored 19 points, while Payton Pritchard and Anfernee Simons both had 11. Hugo Gonzalez stepped up and made a massive impact off the bench with six points, 11 rebounds, two blocks and a game-high plus-21 in a career-high 37 minutes, adding to his league-leading plus-minus among rookies.

Despite Monday’s sluggish start, Boston improved to 18-11 with the win and remains third in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics will get three days off before kicking off a five-game road trip against Indiana on Friday.