Celtics center Neemias Queta blocked a shot by Pacers swingman Andrew Nembhard in the second quarter at TD Garden.
Celtics center Neemias Queta blocked a shot by Pacers swingman Andrew Nembhard in the second quarter at TD Garden.Finn Gomez for the Boston Globe
When the Celtics faced the Pacers in Indiana last week, Pacers forward Pascal Siakam plowed into the paint and banked in a shot in the final seconds to send his team to an upset win. Afterward, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was seething that an illegal screen was not called prior to that game-winning basket, and the NBA’s officiating report acknowledged the error the following day, not that that did Boston any good.
The teams met again at TD Garden on Wednesday, and this time, the Celtics left nothing to chance. They seized control at the start and never really relinquished it, eventually rolling to a 119-104 win.
Jaylen Brown, who received a loud ovation when he was introduced to the crowd as an All-Star Game starter, had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead Boston. Neemias Queta had 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots, and Sam Hauser made 5 of 7 3-pointers and scored 17 points. Hauser has made 41 of 85 3-pointers in January (48.2 percent).
Siakam had 32 points and 10 rebounds for Indiana, but for most of the night he was the team’s lone double-digit scorer. The Pacers shot just 39.8 percent from the field and made 12 of 44 3-pointers.
Hauser’s flammable stretch continued. He hit a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from the left arc on Boston’s first possession and added one from the right side moments later.
Boston tried to establish a presence in the paint early, but had limited success, with Brown coming up short on a few looks before having a dunk wiped away because he stepped out of bounds.
But long-range shots remained useful. On the Pacers’ final possession of the quarter, Baylor Scheierman came up with a steal and found Payton Pritchard, whose 3-pointer gave the Celtics a 30-20 lead. The Celtics hit 4 of 6 3-pointers in the opening quarter and just 5 of 17 2-point tries.
For the Pacers, everything was a chore on offense in the first half.
Queta swapped away a Tony Bradley layup attempt that led to a Jordan Walsh 3-pointer that made it 35-22. Indiana called timeout, and on the next possession Brown came up with a steal that led to another Hauser 3-pointer that made it 38-22.
With the Celtics ahead by 16, the Pacers crafted their only mild run of the half, a 10-2 burst that pulled them within 40-32.
But Boston’s response was swift, with several players contributing to their 15-0 run. During one sequence, rookie Hugo Gonzalez beat three Pacers to an offensive rebound before cashing in with a 3-pointer. Then he took a charge at the other end. A Queta putback capped the surge and gave the Celtics a 55-32 lead, their largest.
Boston held a 20-point halftime lead despite shooting a modest 43.8 percent from the field, buoyed by its 3-point success and 16-for-16 shooting at the foul line.
Siakam carried the Pacers on offense for most of the night, and his powerful third quarter at least gave Indiana a chance on a night when that possibility appeared unlikely. He had 11 points in eight third-quarter minutes, and a 3-pointer from the right arc by Ben Sheppard pulled Indiana within 85-76 with 1:40 left. The Pacers held a 9-0 edge in second-chance points during the quarter.
But a 3-pointer by Simons and a 3-point play by Queta helped stabilize Boston heading into the fourth.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Sheppard and Siakam early in the fourth pulled the Pacers within 99-88, but the Celtics promptly put them away with a 14-4 run.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.