It wasn’t as dramatic as Game 1, but the Boston Celtics will be able to handle it.
The Celtics defeated the Indiana Pacers 126-110 on Thursday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, taking a 2-0 lead as the series traveled to Indianapolis. Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 PM ET.
After suffering a last-minute meltdown in Indiana on Tuesday, Boston was all business, especially Jaylen Brown. The Game 1 hero ran off for 40 points on 14-of-27 shooting, scoring from all levels of the court and harassing the Pacers on defense all night.
The scoring output capped a top-level playoff career.
Brown played a pivotal role in the 20-0 run that put the Celtics in control at the end of the first quarter and beginning of the second quarter. The Pacers would cut the lead to just two points in the third quarter, but the Celtics continued to throw haymakers and led by 15 by the end of the frame.
Brown’s co-star Jayson Tatum took much longer to get going but still finished with 23 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Derrick White had one of his best nights of the playoffs with 23 points and six assists .
Unfortunately for the Pacers, falling behind 2-0 wasn’t the only loss of the evening. Star guard Tyrese Haliburton left the game in the third quarter and did not return, with Indiana announcing him as out with soreness in his left leg.
Haliburton appeared to be dealing with something at halftime, but further replay showed him walking away grimly after an awkward step in the third quarter. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski later reported that he was dealing with hamstring soreness, after missing ten games in the regular season with a hamstring injury. His health will be key to a must-win Game 3 in Indiana.
