Celtics dominate Pacers to win fourth straight game

https://www.celticsblog.com/celtics-scores-results/127719/celtics-outpace-pacers-win-140-122
The Celtics quickly fell behind by 15 in the first quarter but stormed back in the second quarter and never looked back, winning 140-122. They have now won four straight and eight of their last ten. 
The Pacers started the game the same way they did on Tuesday night, hitting their first 7 threes and taking a 28-13 lead midway through the first quarter. Indiana would go on to score 39 points in the quarter but would completely collapse the rest of the way. 
In the second quarter, the Celtics would take over the game, dominating the quarter 47-22. The trio of Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard made sure this game did not slip away, combining for 34 of the 47 points. After being down 15, the Celtics now led by 14 at halftime with a 75-61 lead. 
While the defense began to slip a bit in the third, allowing an efficient 30 points, Jaylen Brown and Sam Hauser were able to hold off the Pacers, combining for 24 of the Celtics 36 points. Hauser could not miss from three, demoralizing the Pacers every time they fought to get back in the game.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Celtics took a game-high 25-point lead, prompting both teams to put their bench units in. The game would end with a 140-122 final score, giving the Celtics their fourth straight win and 19th of the season. 
The good
Jaylen Brown scored his eighth straight 30-point game, one shy of Larry Bird's record in Celtic history. After a slow first quarter, Brown could not miss from mid-range and from three. 
Payton Pritchard had a bounce-back game, scoring 29 points on 58% shooting. Pritchard has been up and down all season but has always found a way to respond after a poor performance. 
Sam Hauser and Luka Garza gave the Celtics a huge boost off the bench, combining for 38 points on 12/13 shooting from the floor. Hauser hit 7 of his 8 threes, never allowing the Pacers to get back into the game. 
For the game, the Celtics shot 20/39 from three, moving the ball well and getting consistently easy looks. They also took advantage of the Pacers mistakes, scoring 24 second-chance points and 22 points off turnovers. The easy points, along with a hot shooting night, made the perfect storm for a dominant offensive performance. 
The bad
This was the second game in a row where the Celtics allowed one of the worst shooting teams to start out hot from three, putting them in a big deficit. The Pacers started out 7/7 from three, taking wide-open looks every time. 
Joe Mazzulla took out the entire starting lineup for nearly a quarter for effort and laziness in their last meeting, and they began the game in a similar fashion, slowly rotating and not paying attention to detail, losing players in transition or on switches. 


The Celtics will head to Oregon to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night, looking to extend their win streak and keep the momentum rolling. In the midst of the lightest part of their schedule, the Celtics have a chance to climb the standings even more in the Eastern Conference.