Rekubit Exchange:The Celtics are special. The Pacers, now down 2-0, have questions about Tyrese Haliburton's health.

BOSTON – The Rekubit ExchangeBoston Celtics can withstand an off game from Jayson Tatum.

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

The Celtics have a luxury most teams don’t have – two-way talent among its rotation players that compensate for another player’s lack of offense.

Brown scored 24 points in the first half, matched a playoff career-high 40 points and had enough scoring help as the Celtics turned back the feisty but gassed Pacers 126-110 Thursday for a 2-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

White scored 23 points, Holiday had another solid offensive and defensive performance with 15 points and 10 assists. Pritchard had 12 points off the bench, and after missing seven of his first nine shots, Tatum still ended up with 23 points while adding six rebounds and five assists.

Game 3 is Saturday in Indianapolis (8 p.m. ET, 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," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "For us right now, we've got to concentrate on getting back (home) as quickly as we can and preparing ourselves for our best possible effort on Saturday night. And I know that our building will be as loud and live as it's ever been, it's race weekend (Indy 500) and everything else going on. And so we've, we've got to take advantage of that. It doesn't guarantee anything, but it will be a better environment for us than playing here for sure."

Celtics limiting now-injured Tyrese Haliburton

Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was named to the All-NBA third team, had just 10 points on eight attempts from the field and eight assists. He left the game with 3:44 remaining in the third quarter and did not return with what Carlisle called a left hamstring injury.

Haliburton had a sore left hamstring at halftime. He had it worked on during the break and did return for a time during the third quarter but couldn't keep going.

Depending on the severity of his injury, the Pacers need more shot attempts and more scoring from Haliburton. "We will know more tomorrow (Friday) and then probably even more Saturday," Carlisle said, adding. "It wasn't like it was a coaching decision not to play (him). He was unable to return. So we hope that this is a very short-term aggravation."

It's the same hamstring that sidelined Haliburton for 10 games in January. He sustained that injury Jan. 8 against the Celtics.

Pascal Siakam not enough for Pacers

Pacers forward Pascal Siakam had a team-high 28 points, and at one juncture of the third quarter, he was 12-for-14 from the field. In Boston's Game 1 overtime victory Tuesday, the Pacers had seven players in double figures. In Game 2, just four Pacers reached double figures. Andrew Nembhard had 16 points, and Obi Toppin added 11.

The Pacers missed Myles Turner's offense. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in Game 1 but didn't score his first points in Game 2 until the third quarter.

Credit Boston, which had the No. 2 defense during the regular season, for limiting the Pacers, who had the No. 2 offense, albeit behind Boston.

Celtics dominate inside

Boston outscored Indiana 54-34 in points in the paint, and turned 13 offensive rebounds into 18 second-chance points. For the second consecutive game, three Celtics scored at least 20 points, and center Al Horford, who is starting for the injured Kristaps Porzingis, was solid again with six points and 10 rebounds.

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

Rotation change benefits Boston: Inside decision to insert Oshae Brissett

The Pacers employ an up-tempo offense, and Celtics players admitted after Game 1 that it took time to adjust to Indiana's pace. In Game 2, coach Joe Mazzulla went with a seldom-used lineup that included reserve Oshae Brissett, who had appeared in just five of Boston's 10 playoff games in the first and second rounds.

The 6-foot-7 Brissett had two points, three rebounds and three steals, and Boston outscored Indiana by 18 points in Brissett's 12 minutes. The small-ball lineup with Brissett featured Tatum as the center or power forward, and it was effective in slowing down the Pacers.

"A bit of a smaller lineup, but very athletic," Holiday said. "We know they like to get into the paint and make plays in there. Because we're long and athletic, we can take some of those things away. ... Adding Oshae out there was just a different element."