Celtics bid for 3-0 series lead against Pacers Friday night

The scene shifts to Indiana where the Celtics have won five of their last six games dating to November 2016.

BOSTON – For the fifth time with Brad Stevens as the head coach, the Celtics have opened a playoff series with two home wins.

They will take a 2-0 lead over the Indiana Pacers into Bankers Life Fieldhouse Friday night in Indianapolis, looking to take complete control of the opening-round matchup.

The Celtics were also 2-0 in all three series a year ago against the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, and in 2017 against the Washington Wizards.

Only once were the Celtics able to win Game 3 on the road – against the Sixers in the second round last season – while the Bucks, Cavaliers and Wizards all rebounded to even their series with a pair of home wins.

“We’ve been up, 2-0, heading to Washington two years ago, heading to Milwaukee last year, heading to Philly last year, heading to Cleveland and in three of those games, we got our doors blown off in the first six minutes of the game,’’ reminded Stevens after the Celtics rallied for a Game 2 win on Wednesday night. “Every game’s its own entity.

“You don’t think about how good you played or how lucky you were or anything else. You try to get it done. You move on to what’s next and play the possession and it’s hard. We have to be ready for what’s coming in Game 3.’’

Except for the 76ers series, the Celtics were indeed routed in Game 3 by the Bucks, Cavaliers and Wizards (giving up 116 points to each of those teams) after taking the 2-0 advantage at home. They lost to the Bucks and Cavaliers by 116-92 and 116-86 scores, respectively, a year ago and were embarrassed by the Wizards, 116-89.

The Pacers are returning home after losing winnable games at the TD Garden, but they were outscored, 26-8, in the third quarter of Game 1 and then, 31-12, in the fourth quarter of Game 2.

“Guys on this team have shown that they can win at home,’’ said Kyrie Irving, “and now it’s about going on the road and doing the same thing and playing with an intensity that’s needed to get a big-time win on the road.

“That’s where the big test comes. Here, we’ve got our families. We’ve got everybody here supporting us, rooting us on. And now when we go to Indiana, it’s the total opposite where it’s just us in the trenches where we’re out there and we’ve really got to focus in.

“I’m really looking forward to that challenge for us. Home is a little easier, but now it’s about going on the road and really showing who we are as a team on the road in the playoffs. These were two great wins at home and now it’s time to go on the road and I’m looking forward to that challenge with my brothers.’’

The Celtics struggled on the road in the postseason a year ago, going 1-7 with the lone win coming in overtime against the Sixers. They split two games in Indiana this season and are 5-1 in the last six games in the Hoosier State.

The Celtics are 37-1 in series after taking a 2-0 lead, the only loss coming against the Cavaliers last spring.

Horford delivers: Al Horford, who was questionable for Game 2 after missing the shootaround with a stomach virus Wednesday morning, wound up playing 38 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter.

While Horford scored only four points on 2 for 6 shooting, he had 10 rebounds and two blocked shots, including one against Bojan Bogdanovic down the stretch.

“The best thing I can say about Al, I’ve said it since he got here, is there’s only one statistic that matters to Al and that is winning,’’ said Stevens on a conference call Thursday morning. “He will do whatever is asked of him to help his team win. He will go above and beyond.

“Here’s a guy who’s been a five-time All-Star and I don’t know how many shots he got up (Wednesday), but it wasn’t very many. They did a good job when they switched off doubling him and he just patiently passed it out of the post almost every time he got it.

“He’s a winner. We’re glad he’s here. We rely on him quite a bit to do all the little things that sometimes are noticed, sometimes are not. But we know how important it is.’’

Rebounding edge: The Celtics outrebounded the Pacers, 55-42, in Game 2 after having a 48-36 edge in the opener.

“If we don’t rebound, we’re in trouble,’’ said Stevens. “It has to be an emphasis. It’s got to be a conscious choice to stay in the play, to engage on blockouts, to pursue the ball if you’re not engaged and it’s got to be every possession.

“They make it tough. They’ve got great size down there. We’ve got to be really, really sound on the glass on the road.’’