The Boston Celtics, fueled by 40 points from Jaylen Brown, beat Indiana 126-110 to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers, who saw Tyrese Haliburton limp out early.
Brown tied a career playoff high to help the Celtics break their game-two jinx.
Boston had dropped the second game before prevailing in each of the first two rounds, but they head to Indianapolis for game three on Saturday in control of the best-of-seven series.
The Pacers have excelled at home, but now have concerns over the health of All-Star point guard Haliburton, who departed late in the third quarter with a left hamstring injury and didn’t return.
Brown, who sank a three-pointer to force overtime as the Celtics held off the Pacers in a game-one thriller, scored 10 points in a 20-0 Celtics run that saw Boston take the lead for good in the second quarter.
“It’s the playoffs, man,” Brown said. “Whatever it takes to get a ‘W’ — on defense, on offense — that’s what I going to do.”
Indiana had emerged from a tight first quarter that featured 10 lead changes with a 27-25 advantage.
But Jrue Holiday’s three-pointer in the final minute of the opening period launched Boston’s scoring binge and they were up 42-27 midway through the second.
The Celtics pushed the lead to 16 before the Pacers hit back. Pascal Siakam came up with four big buckets, including a dunk that cut the deficit to 56-51 at halftime.
Siakam struck again early in the third, and his three-pointer pulled Indiana within two.
But Boston pulled away again, their 16-5 scoring run swelling the lead to 13 going into the fourth quarter, when the Pacers wouldn’t get within double digits.
Jayson Tatum shook off a slow start to score 23 points. Derrick White also scored 23 and Holiday scored 15 points with 10 assists for Boston.
Siakam led Indiana’s scoring with 28 points. Haliburton had 10 points and eight assists before departing.
Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said Haliburton, who had left hamstring trouble during the season, had already had treatment at halftime.
“We’ll know more tomorrow, and probably even more Saturday,” Carlisle said.
