Celtics battle via chaos to earn ugly victory over Pacers: ‘a great one to win’

The Boston Celtics had been put to the take a look at on Thursday night time. Of their first recreation again from the All-Star break, they took on the Indiana Pacers – a workforce that has given them loads of hassle during the last calendar 12 months.

Regardless of leaping out to a few stable leads, the Pacers acted as a relentless thorn in Boston’s aspect. The sport ended up going to additional time and whereas the Celtics had been capable of grind out a victory, it was certainly one of their extra grueling contests of the season.

“Nothing like a 41-minute additional time night time straight from the break,” Jayson Tatum instructed NBC Sports activities Boston. “I’ll take it, although. Good win.”

Each Tatum and Jaylen Brown cracked the 40-minute mark within the victory, with three different Celtics gamers logging not less than 33 minutes within the recreation.

Indiana seemingly made it their job to trigger bedlam. Myles Turner put up a 40-point night time with eight made threes, Tyrese Haliburton received right into a scuffle with Marcus Sensible, and TJ McConnell even mocked Luke Kornet’s notorious Kornet Kontest.

“I like these video games. I like these moments,” Jaylen Brown instructed NBC Sports activities Boston post-game. “The opposite workforce was speaking just a little bit. These younger guys had been hungry. I assumed that we answered the problem and located a strategy to win the sport. And it’s gonna be much more of that we’re going to wish all through the season.”

Boston’s function gamers weren’t the one ones to seek out themselves concerned within the circus, although. Tatum additionally received right into a tussle when he discovered himself preventing for the ball with Pacers rookie Bennedict Mathurin. The near-30-second altercation was one of many extra memorable moments of the night.

“Chaos,” Tatum instructed NBC Sports activities Boston, describing the incident. “The refs telling us to let go. Mathurin saying he wasn’t letting go, and I for positive wasn’t letting the ball go. These performs could be large, proper? That offers you momentum. The workforce sees, whether or not it’s the very best participant, or the youngest participant, or the oldest participant, dive on the ground, preventing for the ball, proper? You give you that ball, the workforce feeds off that vitality. You possibly can see all people was excited and hyped, and I feel that sort of was one of many large moments of the sport, and it was crucial to me. I used to be not letting go of that basketball.”

Tatum could have gained the battle towards Mathurin, however his capturing didn’t precisely win the battle. The Celtics famous person struggled together with his shot all night time lengthy. He completed the sport with 31 factors, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists, however his effectivity was poor, hitting simply 9-of-25 from the ground and 3-of-12 from distance, together with a 1-for-8 first half from the sphere.

“It was both I left all my capturing in Utah or [I’m] nonetheless drunk from trip,” Tatum mentioned. “That’s how I performed tonight. I had a great stat line, however actually not a very good recreation. Glad we gained, and simply tried to seek out methods to make performs on each ends simply so we may win, and all people [would] really feel higher about themselves.”

The powers that helped Tatum win All-Star Sport MVP in Utah only a few days prior didn’t journey with him to Indiana, however Boston was capable of pull out a win no matter his tough capturing night time.

Huge-time performances from Malcolm Brogdon (24 factors) and Derrick White (17 factors) spearheaded the Celtics’ win, serving to them steer the ship in the suitable route heading to the postseason. And now that the cobwebs have been shaken off after a week-long break, they’ll focus all of their consideration on the ultimate stretch of the common season.

“It was large,” Tatum mentioned. “The primary recreation again can at all times be just a little powerful. All people’s been on trip or took a break or no matter. And all people within the league is sort of in the identical boat – first recreation again, been off for per week. So, no matter who you’re enjoying, the primary recreation is normally at all times powerful, and a great one to win.”