By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Boston Celtics successfully protected its home-court advantage after sweeping the first two games at the TD Garden following a lopsided 126-110 Game 2 victory over the Indiana Pacers on May 24, 2024.
With the dominant win, the Celtics just cruised to a sizable 2-0 Eastern Conference finals series lead over the Pacers and moved two wins away from another NBA Finals berth.
Unlike their Game 1 encounter where they had to dig deep and build a crucial offensive late push to survive in overtime, the Celtics in Game 2 played a more consistent offensive approach and just stepped on the gas pedal as the quarters went by.
Indiana looked comfortable trading baskets with the Celtics in the opening frame that allowed them to take a slim 27-25 lead but soon as the second kicked off, the Boston defense suddenly changed the complexion of the game.
It was a defensive masterclass for the Celtics after limiting the Pacers to a scoreless stretch in the first three minutes of the second period.
During that sequence, Boston was able to build a double-digit lead and snatched away the momentum from Indiana.
Jaylen Brown was terrific in the first half for Boston as the crafty shooting guard already surpassed the 20-point mark in just 24 minutes of hoops action.
The savvy and athletic guard spearheaded Boston’s offensive assault in the second and became the spark that they needed to fend off the Pacers in the second half.
Brown wrapped up the Game 2 win with a game-high 40-point production and shot an efficient 14/27 from the field to go alongside five rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
The Pacers trimmed their deficit to just a single digit at the start of the fourth, thanks to a waxing- hot Pascal Siakam who dominated the paint area and the perimeter but Brown’s scoring display proved to be too much and steered the Celtics to its second straight win at home.
Derrick White and Jayson Tatum also played solid for the Celtics, scoring 23 points apiece while also conniving for 11 total assists.
Jrue Holiday continued his stellar two-way performance for Boston and tallied another double-double of 15 points, 10 dimes, and three rebounds.
The Pacers will look to bag its first game of the series on May 26, 2024, as Boston will travel to Indiana for Game 3 of their Eastern Conference finals matchup.
