basketball
NBA: Celtics win conference finals opener
Jaylen Brown (l) of the Boston Celtics finished the evening with 26 points. photo
© Michael Dwyer/AP/dpa
The Boston Celtics are the clear favorites in the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers. But the team stumbles for a long time in front of their own fans, needs a three-pointer and extra time.
The favored Boston Celtics have the start of the final series in the Eastern Conference won. However, in the 133:128 defeat of the Indiana Pacers, the hosts first had to save themselves in overtime before the fans in the TD Garden could cheer. The Celtics had previously given up a double-digit lead twice and were still down by three points with 6.1 seconds left.
Jaylen Brown then hit a three-pointer from the corner and helped his team to success in overtime with strong defensive actions. He finished the night with 26 points and three stolen balls. “Indiana plays so fast and applies so much pressure, we have to be better,” Brown told US broadcaster ESPN. “There were a lot of ups and downs today. We didn’t play our best game, but you have to find a way to win and we did.” Jayson Tatum was the most successful thrower of the evening with 36 points.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton scored 25 points and Pascal Siakam scored 24 points. The guests allowed themselves to lose too many balls in the crucial minutes and were therefore unable to prevent the Celtics’ comeback.
To reach the NBA finals, four wins are needed in the best-of-seven series. Game two of the Eastern Conference will be played again in Boston on Friday night, before the team travels to Indianapolis for two games. In the Western Conference, the series between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves begins on Thursday night in Minneapolis.