Jayson Tatum’s bad performance is something the Boston Celtics can handle.

since they have Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Payton Pritchard.

The Celtics possess a luxury that most teams do not: two-way talent among its rotation players, which makes up for the lack of offensive production from other players.

Brown led the Celtics to a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday after scoring 24 points in the first half, matching a playoff career-high 40 points, and providing adequate scoring assistance.

Holiday had another strong offensive and defensive showing with 15 points and 10 assists, while White scored 23 points. Tatum finished with 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists despite missing seven of his first nine shots. Pritchard finished with 12 points off the bench.

Indianapolis will host Game 3 on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

“In the New York series (conference semifinals), we were down 0-2 and came home and we’re able to win Game 3 and then move along and do what we wanted to do,” Rick Carlisle, the Pacers coach, said. “At this point, our main priorities are returning home as soon as possible and getting ready to give it our all on Saturday night. And because it’s racing weekend (Indy 500) and there will be so much going on, I know that our building will be the loudest and liveliest it’s ever been. Therefore, we must take advantage of that. Although there is no guarantee, we will undoubtedly play in a better atmosphere there than here.”

Celtics limited Tyrese Haliburton, who is now injuredTyrese Haliburton, an Indiana guard who was selected to the All-NBA third team, finished with just 10 points from eight field goal tries and eight assists. With 3:44 left in the third quarter, he exited the game and did not come back, citing a left hamstring injury, according to Carlisle.

At the half, Haliburton complained of a strained left hamstring. He worked on it throughout the intermission, and although he did make a brief comeback during the third quarter, he was unable to continue.

The Pacers will need to see more shot attempts and more points from Haliburton, depending on the extent of his ailment. Carlisle continued, “We will know more tomorrow (Friday) and then probably even more Saturday.” It wasn’t as though the coach had decided not to let him play. He could not go back. We thus hope that this is just a temporary annoyance.”

The hamstring that kept Haliburton out of action for ten games in January is the same one. That injury occurred on January 8th, when he played the Celtics.

Pacers cannot rely only on Pascal SiakamMovers forward: With a team-high 28 points, Pascal Siakam went 12-for-14 from the field at one point in the third quarter. The Pacers had seven players in double figures during their Game 1 overtime triumph over Boston on Tuesday. Only four Pacers scored in double figures in the second game. Obi Toppin scored 11 points, and Andrew Nembhard scored 16.

Myles Turner’s offensive was missed by the Pacers. In Game 1, he finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds; but, in Game 2, he didn’t score any points until the third quarter.

Give Boston, which ranked second in defense during the regular season, credit for keeping the Pacers, who ranked second in offensive but behind Boston, in check.

Inside, Celtics are dominant.In addition to outscoring Indiana 54–34 in the paint, Boston generated 18 second-chance points out of 13 offensive rebounds. Three Celtics scored at least 20 points for the second straight game, and center Al Horford—starting in place of the injured Kristaps Porzingis—showed his consistency once more with six points and ten rebounds.

“The second-chance points were a big factor and turnovers (16), once again, were a big problem,” Carlisle stated. “We’ve got to do better in those areas.”

Benefits of rotation change Boston: Oshae Brissett was added internally.The Pacers run an up-tempo offense, and following Game 1, Celtics players acknowledged it took some getting used to Indiana’s faster speed. Coach Joe Mazzulla started reserve Oshae Brissett in Game 2, one of the few lineup changes in Boston’s ten postseason games in the first and second rounds.

In the 12-minute stint, the 6-foot-7 Brissett finished with two points, three rebounds, and three steals as Boston defeated Indiana by a score of eighteen points. Tatum played center or power forward in Brissett’s small-ball unit, which effectively slowed down the Pacers.

Holiday described the lineup as “very athletic, but a little bit smaller.” “We are aware of their preference for playing in the paint. We can remove some of those things since we’re athletic and long. Oshae’s presence was just a new dynamic.”