How Pacers Tried To Limit Celtics’ Jayson Tatum To Start Series

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum found ways to impact the start of the Eastern Conference finals against the Indiana Pacers.

Tatum dropped 36 points, including the overtime dagger, in a thrilling Game 1 win. Game 2 brought more challenges for the 26-year-old, scoring just four points on 2-of-8 shooting and a minus-9 rating in the first half.

Tatum did help the Celtics flip a switch in the second half, moving the ball, making efficient shots from the midrange and tallying 23 points in the victory at TD Garden.

The Pacers understand the challenge of mixing up looks for Tatum and hope to embrace their own defense against the Celtics star.

“We know he’s a good player,” Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard said. “He can score from a lot of different places on the court. We know he likes to get to the three off the dribble. I think we’ve done a good job throwing different guys on him and making it tough on him. We gotta keep making him take tough shots.”

“We gotta try to make it as difficult on them as possible,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “We gotta be physical and persistent. We gotta play our game. We gotta attack. We’ve got to have the right help at the right time if needed.”

Tatum and the Celtics head to Indiana leading the series 2-0 with a chance to go back to the NBA Finals inching closer.