On December 28th, Beijing time, the NBA regular season continued with the Indiana Pacers visiting the Boston Celtics. The Celtics have been in poor form recently, losing three of their last four games and just suffering their first consecutive losses of the season; the Pacers' six-game winning streak was just ended by the Thunder, and both teams desperately needed a victory to stabilize the situation. In this game, the Celtics came out swinging in the first quarter, scoring 39 points and quickly establishing a double-digit lead. The Pacers fought back fiercely, but the Celtics still expanded their lead to 22 points at halftime with suffocating offense and defense. After the break, the two teams engaged in a fierce shootout, with the Celtics maintaining a lead of over 20 points. In the fourth quarter, the Celtics unleashed a 20-10 run to extend the lead to over 30 points, making the game lose its suspense. Ultimately, the Celtics defeated the Pacers 142-105.
The Celtics and Pacers were opponents in last season's Eastern Conference Finals, but their offensive and defensive capabilities and depth are not on the same level. Facing the aggressive Pacers, the Celtics' key players, Porzingis and Holiday, were sidelined due to injuries, yet they still dominated both ends of the court, controlling the rebounding advantage and raining down threes on their guests! Throughout the game, the Celtics outrebounded the Pacers 52-39, including an 18-13 edge in offensive rebounds, and as a team, they made 23 three-pointers at a 40.4% clip. In contrast, the Pacers only made 11 of their 39 three-point attempts, shooting just 28.2%. The Pacers rely heavily on bombing, but when they can't match the Celtics, they become easy prey!
The Celtics created a 37-point tragedy, setting a new record for the largest winning margin of the season, with the double rookies delivering a knockout punch, combining for 66 points and 18 rebounds! Among them, Brown played 37 minutes, shooting 16 of 24 (6 of 11 from three-point range), 6 of 6 from the free-throw line, exploding for 44 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals; Tatum clocked out after three quarters, playing only 31 minutes, shooting 7 of 15 (3 of 10 from three-point range), 5 of 6 from the free-throw line, tallying 22 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. From the first quarter, Brown displayed his hot hand, making shots from all angles, while Tatum took a backseat, playing the role of a utility player. By the third quarter, Brown and Tatum both erupted, each scoring 12 points to put the game away! This is the power of the double rookies, united they stand, divided they fall!
Compared to the double rookies' dominance, the Pacers' star player, Haliburton, once again disappeared, and it wasn't Holiday or White who blew him up, but the Duck King, Pritchard! In the entire game, the Duck King came off the bench for 31 minutes, recording a comprehensive stat line of 18 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, with a plus-minus rating as high as +25. In contrast, Haliburton played 29 minutes, scoring only 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists, with a plus-minus rating of -27, the lowest on the team! Pritchard not only excels at scoring and passing but is also obsessed with rebounds, grabbing 5 offensive rebounds alone—backing down Haliburton to grab multiple offensive rebounds and score, even snatching an offensive rebound over Turner to complete a fake shot and layup, amazing!
The Celtics' blowout win over the Pacers may not be noteworthy, but there is an intriguing detail: even with Holiday out injured, the Celtics did not promote the Duck King to the starting lineup, instead opting for Hauser! It's not that the Celtics don't value the Duck King, but rather they are preparing for his bid for the Sixth Man of the Year award! So far this season, the Duck King has played 31 games, coming off the bench in every one, averaging 28 minutes per game, putting up 15.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 3.6 three-pointers, with shooting percentages of 46.6%, 41.3%, and 84.8%. At least from the current situation, if he continues to perform like this, there's no doubt about the Sixth Man of the Year award, and the Duck King is set to claim it early.
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