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SPORTS Monday 15 april 2019
Irving, Morris lead Celtics’ rally past Pacers in Game 1

By KYLE HIGHTOWER the edge. After a shaky
AP Sports Writer start, it turned out to be
BOSTON (AP) — The Celtics Boston.
have been at their best this Boston opened the third
season when they are forc- quarter with a 22-3 run to
ing turnovers, spacing the take a 60-48 lead. The Pac-
floor and knocking down ers didn’t get their first field
outside shots. goal of the second half until
They found out in their Joseph dropped in a layup
Game 1 win over the Pac- with 3:38 left in the third.
ers that they are equipped They finished the quarter 2
to win an ugly, physical for 19 from the field.
game as well. “I thought we kind of lost
Irving and Marcus Morris our way,” McMillan said.
each scored 20 points, and “They got the momentum
the Boston rallied in the and really never let that
second half to the beat In- go.”
diana Pacers 84-74 on Sun- Likewise, Stevens said his
day in Game 1 of their first- team found something in
round playoff series. that quarter.
Jayson Tatum finished with “They missed some shots,
15 points. Al Horford added but we were really con-
10 points and 11 rebounds, nected,” he said. “We were
and Gordon Hayward had really playing hard. We Boston Celtics’ Marcus Morris, left, drives past Indiana Pacers’ Darren Collison during the second
quarter in Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, Sunday, April 14, 2019, in Boston.
10 points. It was the first were really flying around.” Associated Press
playoff game since 2017 TIP-INS
for Irving and Hayward af- Pacers: Went 12 of 21 from
ter each missed last year’s the free throw line (57.
postseason with injuries. Celtics: Outrebounded the
“I just try to be aggressive Pacers 55-42.
on the ball, be in the right TURNING POINT
spots,” Irving said. “I just re- Boston’s run included a
ally want to be aggressive brief appearance by Celt-
and really be the head of ics Hall of Famer and for-
the snake.” mer Pacers front office ex-
Game 2 is Wednesday ecutive Larry Bird, who was
night in Boston. shown on the big screen
The Pacers led by 11 points during a timeout.
in the first half but had just The period ended with
eight points in the third Terry Rozier connecting on
quarter. The Celtics capi- an acrobatic 3-pointer with
talized and led by as many 0.1 seconds remaining to
as 22 in the fourth. The 29 put the Celtics ahead 64-
points that Indiana scored 53. The lead grew to 84-62
in the second half were its on a 3-pointer by Tatum
worst of the season. with 3:34 remaining.
Cory Joseph had 14 points Stevens went with Jaylen
for the Pacers. Bojan Bog- Brown in the starting lineup
danovic was the lone Pac- in place of Marcus Smart,
ers starter in double figures who is out with a torn left
with 12 points. oblique.
Both teams shot under 40 But after Boston commit-
percent for the game. Bos- ted four turnovers in the first
ton hit just 36% (28 of 77) four minutes of the game,
and had 20 turnovers. In- Stevens quickly adjusted,
diana connected on 33% inserting Morris and Hay-
of its shots (28 of 84) and ward.
turned it over 13 times. While his team was able to
The Celtics’ 84 points were recover from a dismal start,
their fewest of the season Stevens said the Pacers’
and marked the first time defense deserved credit
they scored fewer than 100 for making things difficult
points and won. on them throughout the
“We held them to 84 game.
points. We just didn’t score “Those guys guarded their
enough,” Indiana’s Wesley butts off,” Stevens said.
Matthews said. “That game looked like a
Celtics coach Brad Stevens 1980s playoff game in a lot
and Pacers coach Nate of ways with the score. But
McMillan both said before it’s tough. Those guys are
the series that the more physical. ...We have a lot
physical team would have to get better at.”q