Field Level Media
Mar 10, 2020
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points, Gordon Hayward recorded a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds, and the visiting Boston Celtics recovered after giving up a late lead to beat the Indiana Pacers, 114-111, on Tuesday night.
Hayward scored 13 points in the opening quarter, leading the Celtics to a 30-22 spread after the period.
Boston held Indiana at arm's length for much of the remainder of the game, building leads of 19 points in the third quarter and 16 in the fourth.
The Pacers' Victor Oladipo finished with 27 points and seven rebounds, and T.J. Warren added 22 points.
A Domantas Sabonis three-point play gave Indiana a 107-104 with 2:14 remaining, the Pacers' first lead since scoring the game's opening basket. Sabonis finished with team highs of 28 points and nine rebounds.
But with the Celtics trailing 109-107, Tatum got to the rim for a game-tying dunk, and after a defensive stop, Marcus Smart laid in two of his 16 points to give Boston a lead it didn't relinquish.
After Smart added two free throws, Indiana had one last look to force overtime, but Justin Holiday's final attempt missed.
Daniel Theis scored 20 points for the Celtics and Kemba Walker added 11, giving all five Boston starters double figures in scoring.
Four of Indiana's starting five scored in double figures, with Myles Turner scoring 16 points to join the trio of Sabonis, Oladipo and Warren. Turner added eight rebounds.
The lone Pacer starter to fall short of double figures was Aaron Holiday, who scored four points filling in for Malcolm Brogdon, who missed his third game because of a hip injury.
Indiana got eight points off the bench from Justin Holiday.
--Field Level Media