Los Angeles (AFP) – Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 69 points and the Boston Celtics again kept the potent Indiana Pacers offense in check in a 118-101 NBA victory at Indianapolis on Saturday.
Tatum scored 38 points and Brown added 31 for the league-leading Celtics, who held the Pacers to a season-low in points as they snapped Indiana’s six-game winning streak.
Boston, who restricted the Pacers to their previous season low in points in their 155-104 win on November 1, were dialed in defensively, holding the Pacers to 17 points in the first quarter.
But the Celtics suffered an early blow when Kristaps Porzingis exited in the first quarter with an eye laceration and the Pacers clawed back.
Aided by 18 Celtics turnovers — 12 of them in the first half — the Pacers chipped away at a 16-point deficit and trailed 58-49 at halftime.
The Pacers, who eliminated the Celtics from the NBA in-season tournament in December, cut the deficit to 84-81 heading into the fourth, but the Celtics powered away in the final period.
Tatum made a season-high eight three-pointers — half of the Celtics’ 16.
He added 13 rebounds and six assists.
“We know they can put up 160,” Tatum said.”
That’s one of the best offenses in the league.They play with pace.They share the ball.They can shoot, so you’ve got to be locked in when you come to Indiana.”
Bennedict Mathurin led the Pacers with 20 points off the bench.Tyrese Haliburton added 17 points and seven assists and came up with five steals.
The teams will meet again on Monday, when Tatum said he expects it to be even harder to contain the league’s most prolific offense.
“It’s going to be tough,” he said.”
You know they’re going to make adjustments.We’ve got to see what we can do better.It’s like a playoff series on the road.”
Elsewhere, Julius Randle scored 39 points and Jalen Brunson added 33 to lead the New York Knicks to a fourth straight victory, a 121-105 rout of the Wizards in Washington.
The Knicks, coming off a victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday, led by as many as 26 in the wire-to-wire victory.
The Utah Jazz handed the short-handed 76ers a second straight defeat, 120-109 in Philadelphia.
The 76ers were without reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, who sat out with swelling in his left knee.
Philadelphia were also without injured Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton and ailing Robert Covington.
Lauri Markkanen scored 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Jazz.
Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 25 points and Kelly Oubre Jr.had 24 but Philadelphia fell to 2-6 without Embiid, who has also missed time with a sprained ankle this season.
