Brown's double-double leads Celtics to victory over Pacers

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown had 30 points and 10 rebounds and the Boston Celtics opened a 23-point first-half lead before coasting to a 119-104 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.

Sam Hauser hit five 3-pointers, scoring 17 points for Boston, and Neemias Queta had 17 points and nine rebounds. The Celtics bounced back from Monday night’s one-point loss at Eastern Conference-leading Detroit.

Pascal Siakam had 32 points and 10 rebounds for the Pacers, who had won four of seven games since losing 13 in a row in December and January. Jarace Walker scored 19 points off the bench for Indiana.

Hauser hit his first three attempts from 3-point range - two of them in the game’s first 68 seconds. The Celtics led 57-34 with 3:22 left in the second quarter, but Indiana cut the deficit to nine in the third before Anfernee Simons hit a 3-pointer.

The Pacers never got back within single digits.

New Red Sox pitcher Ranger Suarez, who was in town to announce his five-year, $130 million contract at Fenway Park on Wednesday, sat courtside with agent Scott Boras and received a nice reception when they were shown on the scoreboard.

Up next

Pacers: Visit Oklahoma City on Friday and Atlanta on Monday to finish up their five-game trip.

Celtics: Visit Brooklyn on Friday night.

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