Player of the Game
ROY HIBBERT
Scored 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, adding three rebounds in 40 minutes.
Plus-Minus
Name Game Season
Dunleavy -5 -77
Ford -3 -173
Foster DNP -9
Granger -11 -124
Hansbrough DNP -56
Head DNP +14
Hibbert -9 -25
D. Jones -8 -224
S. Jones DNP -161
McRoberts -14 -55
Murphy -15 -373
Price -4 +10
Rush -14 -241
Watson -12 -199
Noteworthy
  • Starting point guard T.J. Ford left 4½ minutes into the game with a sore left groin and did not return.
  • Danny Granger survived a scare in the second quarter when Glen "Big Baby" Davis fell on his knee. Though Granger left briefly, he returned uninjured.
  • The Pacers are 3-10 since the All-Star break, allowing 110.1 points in losses and 100.3 in victories.
  • With Ford, Brandon Rush, Granger, Troy Murphy and Hibbert starting, the Pacers are 0-7.
  • The Pacers outrebounded the Celtics 35-34, snapping a streak of 12 straight games losing the rebound battle.
    • Hustle Board
    Points in the paint:
    Celtics 46, Pacers 38
    Second-chance points:
    Pacers 3, Celtics 0
    Fast-break points:
    Pacers 21, Celtics 16
    Points off turnovers:
    Celtics 26, Pacers 16
    Starters scoring:
    Celtics 68, Pacers 65
    Bench scoring:
    Celtics 54, Pacers 38
    Stat of the Night
    The Pacers trailed by at least 20 points for the fourth time in five road games, and sixth time in the last nine.
    Up Next
    The Pacers travel to Milwaukee to face the Bucks Sunday (1 p.m., 1070 The Fan). Please note, the game will not be televised locally.
    Related links
  • Blog replay
  • Video
  • Box score
  • Recap
    • END RESULT
    Facing the Celtics in Boston is tough enough. Facing the Celtics when they're coming off a pride-challenging 20-point loss takes the challenge to another level. Taking out their frustrations on the road-weary Pacers, the Celtics rolled up a 20-point lead at halftime and coasted to a 122-103 victory Friday before 18,624 in TD Garden.

    Paul Pierce scored 20 to lead six players in double figures as the Celtics tied their season high for points and shot 58 percent against the Pacers, who were led by Roy Hibbert's 23 points.

    IMPACT
    The Pacers dropped their seventh straight road game, falling to 7-28 on the road and 21-44 overall. They also lost the season series to the Celtics, 2-1. Boston snapped a two-game losing streak and improved to 41-23 overall, moving into a third-place tie with Atlanta in the Eastern Conference standings. The Celtics are 19-12 at home.

    QUOTEWORTHY
  • "They were not happy. We were playing a wounded tiger. They came out and pounded us and we never recovered from that." – Jim O'Brien on facing the Celtics after Boston's 20-point home loss Wednesday.
  • "Picking up Nate Robinson and Michael Finley are very smart acquisitions late in the season because they space the court and when this team can space the court off the bench like they do I think it'll pay off for them." – O'Brien on Boston's bench
  • "We thought that we would be able to make our big push in the fourth quarter because we like to get up and down the court and they have old legs. We are a lot younger team, but you know they rallied, their bench is really experienced and they pulled off the win.” -- Hibbert
  • "I felt my leg buckle in, but then they checked me out and it is just sore, but it is not damaged so hopefully we will see.” -- Danny Granger on his sore knee.

    KEY MOMENTS
    The Pacers started relatively well, though T.J. Ford limped to the locker room with a sore groin less than 5 minutes into the game (he did not return), leading 18-17 late in the first quarter. But the Celtics closed the period on a 12-5 burst and opened the second 13-6 to stretch the lead to 42-29.

    Though the Pacers were shooting the bonus at the 9½ mark of the second period, they only attempted three free throws in the next seven minutes as the Celtics extended their lead. With Nate Robinson hitting three 3-pointers off the bench to give Boston energy, the Celtics' starters came in and put together an 11-2 run late in the half to make it a 20-point game, 67-47, at the break. Boston shot 63 percent in the first half.

    Boston pushed the lead to 77-52 early in the third quarter but Hibbert sparked the Pacers on a 9-0 run that cut the lead to 77-61. That would be as close the Pacers would get the rest of the night, however, as Boston countered with a 15-8 burst that put it away.

    BY THE NUMBERS
    Hibbert scored well, scoring 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, but pulled just three rebounds and had neither an assist nor a block. Troy Murphy had his 27th double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Danny Granger returned from a one-game NBA suspension and was out of synch throughout the night, forcing shots and playing out of the flow but scored 16 on 5-of-13 shooting, adding four rebounds, four assists and four turnovers. Earl Watson took over once Ford left and had 13 points and six assists. The Pacers shot 49 percent, outrebounded the Celtics 35-34 and had 26 assists but committed 23 turnovers to put additional pressure on a defense that wasn't in the mood.

    Pierce scored his 20 in just 22 minutes, hitting 7-of-12 from the field. Rajon Rondo had 16 points and 11 assists. Robinson wound up with five 3-pointers and scored 15 off the bench, as did Glen Davis. Ray Allen scored 13 and Kendrick Perkins 10. The Celtics shot 58 percent, were 8-of-16 from the 3-point line and benefited from 54 bench points.

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