Jaylen Brown tossed in a game-high 31 points and added nine rebounds to help the Boston Celtics overcome a 20-point deficit and defeat the visiting Indiana Pacers 103-95 Monday night.
Indiana, which led by 20 early in the third quarter, was held to 34 points in the second half and 13 points in the fourth quarter.
The Celtics received 19 points from Derrick White and a game-high 11 rebounds from rookie Hugo Gonzalez off the bench.
Pascal Siakam tallied 25 points for Indiana and Andrew Nembhard contributed 20. Bennedict Mathurin added 16 points and nine rebounds for Indiana, which has lost five in a row.
Boston forward Jordan Walsh did not play because of an illness that also prevented him from playing in the second half of Saturday’s 112-96 victory over Toronto. Walsh is averaging 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game this season.
Indiana led 30-18 after an Ethan Thompson 3-pointer with 4:25 left in the opening quarter. It was the last of eight straight 3-point shots the Pacers made in the quarter. Boston scored the next eight points, but Indiana led 35-26 after 12 minutes.
The Pacers held a 61-41 lead — their largest lead of the first half — with 1:22 remaining in the second quarter. Indiana made 12 of 20 3-point attempts in the first half and led 61-43 entering the third.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla pulled his starters early in the third, and Boston whittled Indiana’s lead to six points, 74-68, on an Anfernee Simons 3-pointer with 3:15 left in the third.
The Pacers led 82-74 after three quarters, but misfired on 11 of their 12 3-point attempts in the stanza.
The Celtics took their first lead in the second half on a Brown reverse layup that put Boston in front 85-84 with 7:19 to play.
With the score tied at 91, the hosts outscored their guests, 10-0, capped by a White driving layup with 41.7 seconds remaining.
The Pacers missed 19 of their 20 3-point attempts in the second half.
Boston outscored Indiana 52-28 in the paint.
The two squads will meet again Friday in Indiana.
–Field Level Media
