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 The newest element for Indiana is forward Danny Granger. He played
in just his second game this season after sitting out with a
strained left calf, and the former All-Star scored 12 points and
made four of five 3-pointers in 25 minutes.
"Adding Granger is scary," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "I think
the more he gets comfortable, the better they'll be. I think they're
already, if they're not the leader for the hunt (for the NBA title),
they're in the hunt."
Stephenson finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, his
second triple-double in two games against the Celtics this season
and his third overall.
"Every night, I'm trying to bring something to the table,"
Stephenson said. "If it's defense or assists or rebounds or
anything, just getting my teammates energized."
Center Roy Hibbert added 15 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers
(22-5).
The blowout followed a 114-81 victory over the Houston Rockets on
Friday. The Pacers had started slowly in many games this season
before dominating in the second half, but Indiana was in full
control by the break with a 52-37 lead against the Celtics, the
second straight game the Pacers led by double digits heading into
the locker room.
"I think the key for us is now we're getting out with energy,"
George said. "We're starting out with great energy, and that's the
key. We always find it in the second half and really suffocate teams
defensively, but these past couple games, we've got out to good
leads because we've been running and starting the game with energy."
Guard Avery Bradley scored 13 points and forward Jeff Green and
guard Courtney Lee scored 11 points apiece for the Celtics (12-17),
who entered the game tied for the Atlantic Division lead. "Indiana just came out and kicked our behind," Celtics center
Jared Sullinger said. "We just have to play better."
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The Pacers were up by 15 at halftime and did their usual damage
in the third quarter. George passed behind the back to point
guard George Hill for a layup that gave Indiana a 60-41 lead
early in the period. The Pacers started the second half with a
13-4 run that pushed their advantage to 65-41.
George hit a 3-pointer and was fouled with 5:25 left in the
third quarter. His free throw bumped Indiana's lead to 69-44.
The Pacers led 80-58 at the end of the period. George scored 18
points on 6-for-6 shooting in the quarter to put the game out of
reach.
Stephenson got his triple-double on a 3-pointer with 4:44 to
play.
"At times, I get on his back and let him run the show because I
know he's going to make the right plays, find the right person,
and he does it with a passion," George said. "His plays are all
passion plays, and we feed off of that."
Stephenson's improvement is another reason Indiana has a lot to
look forward to. The 23-year-old, known for his flashy plays, is
becoming more dependable.
"His ability to do everything on the floor — there's not a lot
of guys in that category," George said. "He's special. He's a
special player. For him, he's starting to put everything
together."
NOTES: Brad Stevens led Butler University, an Indianapolis
school, to the NCAA title game twice before taking over as the
Celtics' head coach. He was cheered when he was introduced
before starting lineups were announced. ... The Pacers won the
previous meeting 97-82 in Boston. Indiana took control of that
game by outscoring the Celtics 25-8 in the third quarter. ...
The Pacers led 20-17 at the end of the first quarter Sunday
night after holding Boston to 30 percent shooting. ... The
Pacers had 17 assists in the first half to five for the Celtics,
and Indiana finished with a 28-16 edge in that category.
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