Brown Makes a Splash with 40 Points as Celtics Seal Series Victory Over Pacers

Jaylen Brown scored 40 points, leading Boston to a 126-110 victory over Indiana and a 2-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference finals. The Pacers were also dealing with the loss of Tyrese Haliburton due to injury.

Brown matched his career playoff high to help the top-seeded Celtics overcome their Game 2 struggles. Boston, who won a league-best 64 regular-season games, had lost the second game in each of the first two rounds before ultimately winning the series. Now, they head to Indianapolis for Game 3 on Saturday with control of the best-of-seven series.

Indiana, strong at home, now faces concerns over All-Star point guard Haliburton, who left late in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury and did not return.

Brown, who made a crucial three-pointer to force overtime in the Celtics’ Game 1 victory, scored 10 points in a 20-0 Celtics run that secured their lead in the second quarter.

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“It’s the playoffs, man,” Brown said. “Whatever it takes to get a ‘W’ – on defense, on offense – that’s what I’m going to do.”

“He has it going,” Jrue Holiday said of his teammate. “Great player, great leader, but wants to win and takes things into his own hands. Having a guy like that on my side, I love it. I’ll ride for him.”

Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla noted that while Brown had only two assists, he did a good job keeping his teammates involved on offense. “He made the right play – that’s the most important thing,” Mazzulla said.

Indiana emerged from a tight first quarter that featured 10 lead changes with a 27-25 advantage. But Holiday’s three-pointer in the final minute of the opening period started Boston’s scoring spree, and they were up 42-27 midway through the second quarter.

The Celtics extended their lead to 16 before the Pacers rallied. Pascal Siakam made four crucial baskets, including a dunk that cut the deficit to 56-51 at halftime. Siakam struck again early in the third quarter, and his three-pointer brought Indiana within two points. However, Boston pulled away again, with a 16-5 scoring run that expanded their lead to 13 going into the fourth quarter, where the Pacers couldn’t get within double digits.

‘Not Quite There’

Jayson Tatum overcame a slow start to score 23 points. Derrick White also scored 23, and Holiday added 15 points with 10 assists for Boston. Siakam led Indiana with 28 points, while Haliburton had 10 points and eight assists before exiting the game.

“I think they played a little better for more stretches than we did,” said Siakam, a title winner with Toronto acquired from the Raptors in January. “They had a lot of good runs. We were getting there close but just not quite there.”

Siakam highlighted the Celtics’ edge in rebounding and second-chance points, as well as the Pacers’ 16 turnovers. “They just played better,” Siakam said. “We’ve got to look at ourselves in the mirror and move on and think about the next game.”

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton, who had dealt with left hamstring issues during the season, had already received treatment on his leg at halftime. He also underwent tests after taking a blow to the chest while competing with Brown for a rebound. “We’ll know more tomorrow and probably even more Saturday,” Carlisle said.