Jayson Tatum finishes with 30 points and 12 rebounds as the Celtics defeat the Pacers 155-104

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BRISTOL, Mass. (AP) – The Boston Celtics won 155-104 on Wednesday night to remain unblemished, thanks to Jayson Tatum’s 30 points and 12 rebounds in less than three quarters.

The 155 points were the franchise’s second-highest total in a regular-season game.

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One game after destroying the Wizards in Washington, the Celtics returned home and annihilated the Pacers, jumping out to a 10-point lead in the first three minutes, increasing it to 20 in the second, 30 in the third, and 53 in the fourth.

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Before the Celtics walked to the bench late in the third quarter with a 38-point advantage, Derrick White had 18 points and Jaylen Brown had 16. In extended minutes off the bench, Sam Hauser scored 17 points and Payton Pritchard added 15.

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T.J. McConnell scored 18 points for the Pacers, who were without point guard Tyrese Halliburton, who turned his ankle after stepping on Jalen Smith’s foot in a defeat to the Bulls on Monday. Smith (knee) also missed practice on Wednesday.

Tatum scored four points and three rebounds during the first-quarter 14-0 surge that turned a two-point deficit into an 18-6 advantage. White nailed a pair of 3-pointers at the close of the first quarter, when Boston scored 18 of the final 25 points to take a 44-27 lead.

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Indiana never got closer than 14 points after that, trailing by 30 or more for the next 21 minutes and down by 50 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining.

Celtics obliterate Pacers 155-104, improve to 4-0 on the season -  CelticsBlog

Notes: In the first quarter, the Celtics shot 76% (16 of 21) from the field. They hit eight three-pointers… For the second game in a row, the Celtics led at halftime with 75 points. According to the team, this is the first time back-to-back games have been played since at least the 1950-51 season. Indiana shot 5 for 37 from outside the arc and was outrebounded 58-31.