Banner Town Breakdown: Walker, Williams Shine as Celtics Outlast Pacers, 118-112
Creator: Andy Lyons | Credit: Getty Images | Copyright: 2019 Getty Images
Kemba Walker scored 32 points, Robert Williams III had 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks, and the Celtics got a season-high 37 points from their bench in a 118-112 victory over the Indiana Pacers.
Jeff Teague shook off the doldrums and scored 14 points, while Daniel Theis chipped in with 17 points and 3 blocks to help hold Indiana off after a nine-point lead was cut to three (112-109) with 1:23 left in the game.
The Pacers were led by Domantis Sabonis with 24 points, 6 rebounds, and 9 assists. Myles Turner, who leads the NBA in blocked shots, got 3 more to go along with his 17 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Aaron Holiday scored 15 and his brother Justin Holiday had 19 points.
Indiana jumped out to an 18-4 lead in the first quarter as Turner hit 2 three-point shots early before Kemba Walker got his offense going. He scored 7 points in a 14-2 Boston run that cut the lead to 20-19 with 4:24 left in the period. The Celtics went 11-14 from the free-throw line and surprisingly ended the first quarter with a 32-31 lead after a Jeff Teague floater.
Teague and Walker kept the Celtics’ offense going in the second quarter as they kept the game close, aggressively challenging the Pacers’ defense throughout the quarter. Williams III had 8 points, 8 rebounds as the Celtics led 61-60 at the half.
With Jaylen Brown (15 points) and Jayson Tatum (9 points on 4-18 shooting) struggling all night, bench players like Payton Pritchard (9 points), Williams, and Teague picked up the slack. The Celtics ended the third quarter with a 92-84 lead.
Walker then kept the Pacers at bay in the fourth quarter and when Indiana cut the lead to 112-109 Daniel Theis hit a 3 from the right corner to push the lead back to six before Sabonis hit a 3 pointer that bounced on the top of the backboard and dropped in. The Celtics then got free throws from Walker and Williams for the final score. Boston’s next game comes on Sunday when they’ll take on the Washington Wizards at 7:00 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
