Two-faced Celtics demolish Pacers

Bostonone of the teams in the form of the moment, welcomes Indianastill among the bad students in the league. On paper, the poster seemed unbalanced, but, before meeting again in four days, Pacers it will be difficult to Celticsvictorious with the help of an absolutely insane second half!

Between Pascal Siakam, Benedict Maturin and Ethan Thompson: 3-pointers are falling everywhere on the Pacers side early in the matchup. Because their success has been obnoxious in practice, they have put themselves directly in control, facing a Celtics defense that is out of place, especially in the fast game (35-26).

And it’s not going to get any better, as Pascal Siakam is having a very big night and making fun of his defenders, in the mid-range post or behind the arc. The spread climbs, again and again, until it reaches 20 points, while C’s water is overextended and only exists in the suit (61-43).

Strong pick by Joe Mazzula

If we could have expected Boston to eventually find its groove, we probably didn’t imagine it would be… by removing all the starters! Very early in the third quarter, Joe Mazzula made this bold but rewarding choice as Hugo Gonzalez, Anferni Simmons, Luca Garza, Sam Hauser and others Baylor Scheierman is the team and TD Garden (82-74).

A typical shock that Jaylen Brown should have started as well… and finally give his team the lead, in a tense atmosphere. The noise is deafening and Indiana crumbles more and more as the minutes pass. A completely off-balance 3-pointer in the corner by Brown – 14 units in the period – gives the Celtics a two-possession lead.

It was a shot that, two minutes from the end, finally outplayed the visitors (103-95). If Jailen Brown (31 points, 9 rebounds) scored again upon his arrival, it is impossible not to highlight the contribution of the Spanish newcomer Hugo Gonzalezwhich far exceeds the numbers (6 points, 11 rebounds including 2 offensive, 2 blocks, 1 assist and 1 steal in 37 minutes, with a differential of +21).

TO BE REMEMBERED

– Boston has come a long way. It was night and day for the Celtics between the first half and the second half. Like Jaylen Brown, unrecognizable in the second half – and especially when he saw Joe Mazzula replace him with all the other starters (at -20 at the start of the third quarter) – the Massachusetts players showed two faces on this evening. The first, clearly disappointing in attack and defense. The second, absolutely in line with what allowed them to become the best team in the East since November 12 (12 wins in 17 matches). Hugo Gonzalez said: “remontada”!

– The Hugo Gonzalez experience. in Massachusetts, Hugo Gonzalez he’s gaining more and more depth in Celtic’s rotation and was definitely Joe Mazzula’s most used player last night! His stats aren’t the most impressive, but it’s a testament to his versatility and ability to play all of his minutes to the max. Inserted into the starting five in the second half, after he was the only one to shine in the first, he embodies better than anyone the profitable gamble of his coach, who trusted his bench to take down the Pacers after the break. The standing ovation from TD Garden was therefore well deserved when he left in the final seconds.

– Indiana is completely extinct. In full swing in the first half, the Pacers collapsed in the second. Pascal Siakam, until then dominant, no longer weighed the match, 3-point baskets no longer fell (1/20…) and loose balls began to line up one after the other. Worse: We got the impression we were seeing Rick Carlisle’s men – who still have to wait for his 1,000th career win – petrified in front of the Celtics, pushed by their fervent public. That makes it five straight losses for the reigning finalists, who will need Tyrese Halliburton to settle things down.

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How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.