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After the Boston Celtics impressively took care of the Indiana Pacers in a 118-101 victory on Saturday, January 6, it was more of the same. Players handed out praise for one another, and Jayson Tatum followed suit.
Tatum, who dominated the game with a 38-point, 13-rebound effort refused to take most of the credit. Instead, he praised a man he considers his all-time favorite teammate.
Jayson Tatum Singles Out Al Horford After Win Over Pacers
The Celtics dominated on both ends of the court in the win over the high-scoring Pacers. Indiana, fresh off a 150-point outing against the Atlanta Hawks, was held to its lowest point total of the season.
Offensively, Tatum and Jaylen Brown stole the show, combining for 69 points. Tatum made 14 of his 24 shots from the floor and went 8-for-13 from 3-point land. He also dished out six assists in what may have been his most complete game of the season.
Brown, who had been struggling offensively, made 13 of 20 shots, finishing with 30 points.
Lost in the victory was the play of Al Horford. The veteran center was thrown into an unexpected 30 minutes of action after center Kristaps Porzingis left early with an eye injury. Porzingis was poked in the eye while fighting for a first-quarter rebound. He briefly returned to action, but then he quickly headed for the locker room and never returned. He played six minutes.
Horford came off the bench and led the team in assists with eight. He also added 10 points and seven rebounds, earning high praise for Tatum.
“We just can’t keep taking him for granted,” Tatum said of Horford to Abby Chin of NBC Sports Boston after the game. “The best teammate I ever had. Ultimate professional and someone we can count on night in and night out, and he proved that again tonight.”
Tatum, Horford, and the Celtics Cooled Off the Red-Hot Pacers
Maybe it was some sort of revenge thing. Maybe the Celtics just wanted to show who’s boss. The Celtics took care of business against one of the hottest teams in the NBA.
The Pacers entered Saturday’s game against the Celtics riding a six-game win streak. Indiana is the team that knocked Boston out of the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament. Whether Boston had revenge on its mind is unclear, but Tatum said the team came out ready to play and will have to do so again when the teams meet again in Indiana on Monday, January 8.
“We started playing with the right intentions,” Tatum told Chin. “We had too many turnovers in the first half, and that’s what got them back into the game. They feed off turnovers.
“They can put up 160 on you. That’s one of the best offenses in the league. They play with a lot of pace. They all share the ball, and they can shoot. You’ve got to be locked in when you come to Indiana.”
Tatum and the Celtics need to be as locked in when the square off Monday.
“It’s going to be tough,” he said. “They’re going to make adjustments, and we’re going to see what we can do better. It’s like a playoff series on the road. We won Game 1, now we’ve got to get ready for Game 2.”
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