NBA roundup: Jayson Tatum scores 30 as Celtics beat Pacers 129-124
BOSTON (AP) — Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and had two blocks in the final 30 seconds to help the Boston Celtics hold off the Indiana Pacers 129-124 on Tuesday night.
Jaylen Brown added 25 points and Derrick White finished with 24 to help Boston win its season series with Indiana, 3-2. The Pacers eliminated the Celtics in the quarterfinal round of the In-Season Tournament in December.
Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Pascal Siakam finished with 23 points and Myles Turner added 17. All-Star Tyrese Haliburton had 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting and 10 rebounds.
The Celtics led 127-124 when Tatum denied Turner at the rim with 29.3 seconds left, leading to a shot-clock violation. He came up with another block with 11.2 seconds remaining to preserve Boston’s five-point lead.