Halftime stars, studs and duds: Celtics could hand Pacers first home loss this season

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Boston closed out the second quarter with a 13-0 surge that propelled them to a 48-45 halftime lead over Indiana.

And the Celtics now find themselves halfway to doing what no team has done to the Pacers this season -- beat them on their home floor. 

Boston’s efforts certainly got a boost with the last-minute news of Paul George not being able to play due to an ankle injury. 

George, a three-time all-star, is one of the top players in the NBA so his absence was felt by the Pacers. 

Indiana’s other all-star, Jeff Teague, tried to pick up some of the slack and finished the half with 11 points. 

Meanwhile, the Celtics weren’t playing their best basketball but to their credit, they hung around and finally caught their stride in the closing minutes of the second quarter. 

Trailing 45-35, the Celtics drained three consecutive 3-pointers to make it a one-point game. 

And from there, Amir Johnson took over. 

He made a pair of free throws with 57.4 seconds to play that put Boston ahead 46-45. 

And on the ensuing Pacers possession, Johnson came up with a blocked shot that gave Boston a chance to increase its slim lead which they did on a Johnson lay-up. 

Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from the first half of tonight’s game.

STARS

Kelly Olynyk: The 7-footer had another solid night as a starter as he filled up the stats sheet in many categories which proved to be instrumental to Boston leading at the half. He had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists. 

Jeff Teague: The one-time all-star hasn’t played particularly well since being traded to Indiana from Atlanta, but he sure looked good in the first half. Teague scored 11 points.

STUDS

Amir Johnson: The last two minutes belonged to Johnson who made big plays at both ends of the floor, including a pair of free throws that put the Celtics ahead with less than a minute to play, that was followed by lay-up. For the half he had 8 points, 6 rebounds and a blocked shot.

Monta Ellis: He was back in the starting lineup with Paul George (ankle) out and to Ellis’ credit, he made an impact. In the first half, Ellis had 8 points and 4 rebounds. 

DUDS

Isaiah Thomas: Boston’s best scorer was a non-factor, missing all four of his shots from the field while scoring three points all from the free throw line. Boston needs more – a lot more – from him in the second half if they’re going to rally back for a win.

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