4 takeaways as Celtics blast Pacers, Jaylen Brown goes off

4 takeaways as Celtics blast Pacers, Jaylen Brown goes off.

BOSTON — The Celtics responded perfectly from their first losing streak of the season, blowing out the Pacers 142-105 on Friday at TD Garden. They blitzed the visitors right from tipoff as the result was never in doubt. The C’s snapped their two-game losing streak to improve to 23-8 while the Pacers dropped to 15-17. The Celtics were also shorthanded without Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday, though the Pacers were also without rotation players and on the second game of a back-to-back.

While the teams exchanged buckets early, the Celtics blew the game open as Jaylen Brown caught fire. Brown scored 23 points in the first half as the C’s lead ballooned to 28 points early. The Pacers — who have given the C’s trouble in the past — didn’t have much juice as they struggled offensively.

The Celtics cruised to the victory from there in the second half. The Pacers failed to put together a noteworthy run to put any real pressure on the C’s. By midway through the fourth quarter, both benches were unloaded as the teams prepare to play again in a couple days.

 

Brown had an efficient 44 points to lead the Celtics. Payton Pritchard also put up 18 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists, narrowly missing the triple-double. Bennedict Mathurin had 18 points for the Pacers while Tyrese Haliburton put up 19 points and nine assists.

 

The Celtics rematch the Pacers at 6 p.m. Sunday at TD Garden for their next game. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Indiana:

Scorching hot: Brown couldn’t miss to start Friday’s game as he took over at multiple points. He hit his first nine shots, finishing 16-for-24 from the field overall and 6-of-11 on 3-pointers. Brown’s complete stat-line was 44 points, five rebounds and three assists. Considering Brown had an overall tough game on Christmas, it was a solid bounce-back performance for the reigning NBA Finals MVP. He checked out to a large ovation from the Garden crowd.

 

Doing it all: While Pritchard has seen his 3-point percentage dip over the past few games, Friday was a good reminder of his value. It’s not just that Pritchard spaces the floor as a shooter — his playmaking and rebounding are also valuable tools for the Celtics. Pritchard was close to his second-ever triple-double, needing just two more rebounds, but he wasn’t able to get them before calling it a night. Still, it was still another impressive night for the guard as he shot 7-for-16 from the field and 4-of-11 on his 3s.

Reserves check: The Celtics were without two starters, meaning there was going to be some available playing time. Jordan Walsh impressed in his 21 minutes Friday, putting up nine points and five rebounds. Notably, he also finished 2-for-3 on 3-pointers, confidently knocking down some of his looks. Luke Kornet also had his flashes in reserve duty, putting up three points and five rebounds.