The Boston Celtics handed down a rude welcome to the Indiana Pacers at the beginning of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
The Celtics scored the game’s first 12 points in a raucous environment at TD Garden, and it was just the kind of message the Celtics needed to send.
The Pacers, however, shrugged it off. They are not strangers to unfriendly arenas having just beat the New York Knicks in a Game 7 Sunday at Madison Square Garden.
Indiana’s relentless offense got it back in the game, and the Pacers owned a 3-point lead with 46.8 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Pacers then committed costly turnovers and failed to protect the lead.
It was a chaotic finish, punctuated by Indiana’s missed chances and Celtics star Jayson Tatum’s offense.
Boston’s Jaylen Brown made a tough corner 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left to force overtime, and the Celtics outscored the Pacers in the five minutes of OT for a 133-128 victory in Game. 1.
Tatum followed a 3-point play with a 3-pointer from the top of the arc, giving Boston a 127-123 lead with 42.9 seconds to go, and it was enough cushion to escape with a victory.
Tatum scored a game-high 36 points and collected 12 rebounds and had three steals. He was one of three Celtics players with at least 26 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Brown had 26 pints, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, and Jrue Holiday produced 28 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.
Game 2 is Thursday in Boston.
