Not as big a first quarter start as we’ve become accustomed to, but Boston was only down 20-17 after 1Q tonight in Indiana. Avery Bradley was hot early, (again) putting in 9 points in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Celtics started to look more like a team that was on the second night of a back-to-back. But it was more than that. The Pacers started to push, but Boston did not push back. As Tommy Heinsohn noted on CSNNE’s halftime show, the C’s pace was set to “slow”, and Indy was walking all over them. The Pacers scored more than half of their points in the paint (28) and Roy Hibbert’s 13 points led all scorers at the half. It was 52-37 at halftime, and Boston would need a much better effort going forward if they wanted a chance to upset Indiana.
Indiana blew things wide-open in the second half, and the Celtics would never make this a game again. Pacers win big tonight, 106-79 over the C’s. Avery Bradley led the Celts with 13, Courtney Lee had 11 and Paul George’s 24 points (18 in the 3rd Q) led all scorers. Boston is now off until Saturday 12/28 when they face the Cavs back in Boston. Granted, the Pacers are a very talented team, but I expected the C’s to put up more of a fight than they did. After the game, Jeff Green told the media that the C’s would “see them again”, replying to a question about Lance Stephenson showboating pelvic thrusting during the blow out.
After the loss, Rajon Rondo addressed the media, saying that a January return was not realistic:
#Celtics Rajon Rondo said there’s no timetable for his return. “I’ve had one practice and a pick-up game. That’s about it.”
— A. Sherrod Blakely (@SherrodbCSN) December 23, 2013
The Green:
- Their were no injuries for the Celtics tonight
The Gross:
- Celts committed 16 turnovers, were sloppy and looked disinterested at times. Saw a lot of “hero ball” and just a slow, predictable pace
- Boston shot 32 of 84 (38%) from the floor and had 16 assists on 32 makes
- Pacers scored 50 points in the paint and had their way down low all night
The Grid: (quick stats)
- Celts were out rebounded 53-41
- Pacers attempted 22 free-throws to Boston’s 13
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