Jaylen Brown's Stellar 40 Points Gives Celtics A Strong 2-0 Lead In East Finals
Jaylen Brown delivered an impressive performance, scoring 10 of his career playoff high 40 points during a first-half surge, leading the Boston Celtics to a 126-110 victory over the Indiana Pacers. This win gives the Celtics a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night.
Brown's crucial 3-pointer with 5.7 seconds left in regulation forced overtime in Game 1. In Game 2, he helped Boston overturn a five-point deficit in the first quarter into a 15-point second-quarter lead. The Celtics led 42-27 after a 20-0 run and maintained their lead throughout the game.
During this run, Indiana missed nine consecutive shots and committed four turnovers, enduring a drought that lasted over six minutes. Brown scored 10 points during this period and had accumulated 24 points by halftime. Jayson Tatum and Derrick White each contributed 23 points, while Jrue Holiday added 15 points and 10 assists for the top-seeded Celtics.
The Celtics had previously lost Game 2 in both of their earlier series this postseason. The series will now move to Indiana for Game 3 on Saturday night.
Pacers' star guard Tyrese Haliburton scored 10 points and provided eight assists before exiting in the third quarter due to a sore left leg. Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 28 points, and Andrew Nembhard added 16.
The Pacers managed to narrow the gap to 68-66 with Siakam's three-pointer at the 7:55 mark in the third quarter. However, Derrick White and Tatum responded with dunks, and White's three-pointer a minute later extended Boston's lead to 75-68.
Brown's three-pointer with 4:32 remaining in the third quarter pushed the lead to 80-71, and Indiana could not close the gap further.
time for the road dogs to come out pic.twitter.com/kJZdIinsW8
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 24, 2024
The Celtics' dominant performance ensures they head into Game 3 with confidence, while the Pacers will need to regroup and strategise to stay competitive in the series.
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