Celtics Stop Four-Game Losing Streak With 103-94 Win Over The Pacers

There’s an old sports cliche that says defense wins championships. Whether or not you believe that, defense helped the Boston Celtics snap their four-game losing with a 103-94 win over the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers held a with just over two minutes to play, but that’s when the Celtics buckled down. Behind several steals, which turned into fast breaks, Boston rattled off a 12-0 run to end the game.

“Get stops. Hunker down and get stops,” Jae Crowder said. “We got a couple of steals in a row. I think that’s what it was. We didn’t do anything differently on offense. We just hunkered down and got stops.”

“All pick-6s, too,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said of the turnovers. “That was the game. Give them credit for getting up and pressuring us. That’s what they do.”

Isaiah Thomas led the way for Boston with 28 points; Crowder added 21 of his own. Amir Johnson also pulled down a season-high 18 rebounds in addition to scoring 14.

But, despite all the strong offensive performances, head coach Brad Stevens brought everything back to his team’s defense. “Our defense, those four layups or three layups, whatever it was, were the turning point for us,” he said.

The Celtics will look to continue their winning–and defensive–ways on Friday night when they host the Phoenix Suns.

 

Photo: Marcus Smart of Boston Celtics gives instructions to his teammates during the friendlies of the NBA Global Games 2015 basketball match between Real Madrid and Boston Celtics at Barclaycard Center on October 8, 2015 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)