Eastern Conference Recaps, March 24: Jayson Tatum Was Brightest Of Boston Celtics Stars In Win Against Indiana Pacers

The Boston Celtics used Jayson Tatum’s huge night to grab a second straight win.

He scored 34 points to lead the Celtics to a 120-95 victory against the Indiana Pacers. It was his 40th 30-point game this season, passing Larry Bird for most 30-point games in franchise history in a season. Bird had 39 in the 1987-88 season.

Jaylen Brown recorded 27 points and Derrick White had 22. After being sidelined six games due to a knee injury, Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers with 20 points. Myles Turner also had 20 while Isaiah Jackson had 12 off the bench.

OTHER NOTES:

-With Bradley Beal sidelined a second straight game due to a knee injury, Corey Kispert tied his career-high with six 3-pointers to help the Washington Wizards secure a 136-124 victory against the San Antonio Spurs. He finished with 26 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 23.

Keldon Johnson recorded 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs while Keita Bates-Diop had 20 points.

NEXT WIZARDS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Apr. 7 in Washington

-Pascal Siakam’s 32 points led the Toronto Raptors to a 118-97 victory against the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons. Fred VanVleet had 18 points and Chris Boucher led all reserves with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Rookie Jaden Ivey scored 20 points for the Pistons.

NEXT RAPTORS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Mar. 28 in Toronto

NEXT PISTONS GAME AGAINST THE HEAT: Apr. 4 in Detroit

-The Milwaukee Bucks used a balanced team effort to grab a 144-116 victory against the Utah Jazz. Grayson Allen led the way with a season-high 25 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 24 points and 11 assists.

With Lauri Markkanen sidelined due to a hand injury, rookie Simone Fontecchio led the Jazz with 26 points.

-While DeMar DeRozan was sidelined with a quad injury, the Chicago Bulls rode Zach LaVine’s 33 points to secure a 124-96 victory against the Portland Trail Blazers. Nikola Vucevic had 23 points and 15 rebounds and Coby White led all reserves with 19 points.

Rookie Shaedon Sharpe led the Trail Blazers with 24 points while Damian Lillard was sidelined with a calf injury.

Cory Nelson is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He attended Northern Virginia Community College. He can be reached at corymckenzienelson@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter @CKenzyNelson. You can also check out his personal blog HERE.