The Boston Celtics took Game 1 of their best-of-seven first round series matchup against the Indiana Pacers, but it was one of the lowest scoring playoff games in recent memory.
The Celtics beat the Pacers 84-74 at home. After the game, Boston head coach Brad Stevens said that he felt like he was in the 1980s because of the low-scoring output for both teams.
Celtics' Brad Stevens on 84-74 Game 1 win over Pacers: "That looked like a 1980s playoff game." pic.twitter.com/lIEpK2ot12
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) April 14, 2019
Brad Stevens gave credit to the Pacers defense for making it difficult for the Celtics to score. He said that their opponents' physicality is one of the main reasons why they struggled on the offensive end.
Both teams had a hard time making baskets throughout the course of the game. The Celtics shot 36 percent from the floor while the Pacers finished at 33 percent.
Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists. Jayson Tatum added 15 points, while Al Horford finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 boards .Marcus Morris chipped in 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
For the Pacers, only Bojan Bogdanovic was able to score in double figures among their starters. He finished with 12 points, two boards and an assist. Reserve guard Cory Joseph scored 14 points. Aside from them, no other player from Indiana managed to score more than eight points — something that's very uncharacteristic for a team that has used balanced scoring to their advantage this season.
The Celtics and Pacers will look to improve offensively in Game 2 on Wednesday in Boston.
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