The Boston Celtics came from 20 points down in the second half against the Indiana Pacers after suffocating the reigning NBA runners-up on defense in a game in which Spain’s Hugo Gonzalez finished with 6 points and 11 rebounds.
The former Real Madrid ‘ex’ was the player with the most minutes for the Boston Celtics with more than 36, including the final moments of the game, in which he was a key figure in stopping Paskal Siakam.
Jaylen Brown leads Celtics’ offense
In addition to a prodigious defense, the Boston Celtics’ victory would not be understood without Jaylen Brown, who scored 31 points – 14 of them in the fourth quarter – and Derrick White, who contributed 19 points.
Brown has scored at least 30 points in ten of the last eleven he has played.
Siakam mirrored the Pacers in the game by scoring 25 points.
Although 23 of them came in the first two quarters.
Andrew Nembhard contributed 20 points and 7 assists, while Bennedict Mathurin added 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Pacers fade and Celtics start comeback
Indiana’s second unit barely contributed 18 points.
Including two baskets in the last minute when the game was already decided.
The Pacers went into halftime with an 18-point lead (43-61) after making 12 of 20 three-pointers against the Boston Celtics’ lack of reaction.
Until the end of the game, however, they would only score again from the perimeter on another 20 attempts.
The Celtics made a comeback attempt in the third quarter.
After the Pacers went on to increase the lead to 20 points thanks to a second unit led on offense by Anfernee Simons (11 points).
Four straight points from Brown in the final seconds brought them within eight points at the end (74-82).
Celtics confirm their great moment
Brown kept the momentum going in the fourth period, putting the Boston Celtics ahead on the scoreboard (85-84) for the first time since the second minute of the game after a hard-earned basket in the paint against Siakam.
The Pacers barely scored two baskets in the game until 4 minutes left in the final quarter, although the score remained even (91-91).
But a 10-0 run by the Celtics, opened by Brown with a three-pointer at the buzzer, ended the hopes of the visitors, who were stifled by the intense defense of their opponents.
The Boston Celtics are currently third in the Eastern Conference with a record of 18 wins and 11 losses, and have won 8 of their last 10 games.
The Pacers are, on the other hand, second to last in the East with 6 wins and 23 games lost.
Including the last 5, and they are a far cry from the image they offered last year, when they were one game away from winning the NBA.
With information from EFE
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