LOS ANGELES: The Boston Celtics held off a ferocious second half rally to defeat the Indiana Pacers 129-124 on Tuesday as the Los Angeles Lakers crashed to another heavy defeat.
The NBA Eastern Conference-leading Celtics cruised into a 20-point first half lead at the TD Garden against a Pacers lineup bolstered by the return of Tyrese Haliburton.
But Indiana came to life in the third quarter, outscoring Boston 37-25 to briefly edge into the lead before the Celtics regained control of the contest and closed out victory in the fourth.
“Credit to Indiana, they played really, really fast. They tried to wear us out but we found a way to win,” said Celtics star Jaylen Brown, who finished with 25 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Jayson Tatum led the Boston scoring with 30 points but it was the power forward’s defensive prowess that helped seal the team’s league-best 37th win of the season.
Tatum came up with two big blocks to deny Indiana down the stretch just when the Pacers were threatening to tie it up.
“Each and every night, we try to keep our standard, and defense is a part of that,” Brown said of Boston’s defensive display.
All five Boston starters finished in double figures, with Derrick White scoring 24 points while Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday added 17 points apiece.
Aaron Nesmith led Indiana’s scoring with 26 points while Pascal Siakam chipped in with 23. Haliburton returned to the line-up to score 13 points with 10 assists and three rebounds.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers slumped to an emphatic loss, going down 138-122 on the road in Atlanta.
The Lakers, beaten 135-119 in Houston on Monday, were given a torrid working over for a second straight night by the Hawks’ potent offense.
Trae Young finished with 26 points, including six three-pointers, while Dejounte Murray scored 24.
Bogdan Bogdanovic provided a shooting clinic from the bench with 18 points, including 4-of-9 from three-point range.
Austin Reaves led the Lakers with 28 points while LeBron James scored 20 points.
The Lakers, missing the injured Anthony Davis, dropped to 24-25 after the loss and are ninth in the Western Conference table.
Lakers star James could not hide his frustration after his team’s latest blowout defeat.
“We can on any given night beat any team in the NBA — and then on any given night we can get our ass kicked by any team in the NBA,” James said. “That’s where we are.”
In other games on Tuesday, the New York Knicks extended their recent winning streak to eight games with a 118-103 victory over the Utah Jazz, on the back of 33 points from Donte DiVincenzo, who made nine three-pointers.
In Chicago, the Toronto Raptors recovered from a 16-point first-half deficit to defeat the Bulls 118-107.
