Boston ? The Boston Celtics got in the best shots and the Indiana Pacers kept missing as their physical series got rougher.

Amid a flurry of flagrant and technical fouls, Boston won 101-83 Thursday night for a 2-1 series lead as Paul Pierce’s 21 points led six Celtics in double figures.

The Pacers’ second-half shots kept clanging off the rim as they went without a field goal for a span of 14 minutes, 19 seconds. For the game, Reggie Miller went 0-for-7 and finished with five points.

“We just did a good job defensively,” Antoine Walker said. “They were known throughout the season as being very physical. We’re just trying to rise to the challenge.”

Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is Sunday in Boston, where the Celtics are 44-17 against the Pacers.

“If we get those same shots Sunday, I think we’ll have a different story,” Indiana coach Isiah Thomas said.

The Pacers went 8-for-31 after intermission, and had just two field goals in the second half until Erick Strickland scored with 4:09 left in the game. That drought enabled Boston to increase a 48-44 halftime lead to 75-58 going into the fourth quarter.

Jermaine O’Neal led Indiana with 21 points and 16 rebounds. In the second half, he missed the only shot he took, while Miller went 0-for 5.

“I should have shot it more,” said Miller. “It doesn’t matter how many I take. It’s how many I make.”

Boston center Tony Battie,left, dunks over Indiana forward Ron Artest. The Celtics beat the Pacers, 101-83, Thursday in Boston.

He wasn’t involved in the physical play that resulted in Boston’s Mark Blount and Indiana’s Ron Artest being ejected in separate incidents, two flagrant fouls against the Celtics and five technicals against the Pacers.

In Game 1, Tony Battie, the Celtics’ starting center, was ejected for a flagrant-2 foul against Artest.

“That’s the way playoff basketball is,” said Pierce, a former Kansas University standout. “The team that can keep their composure … is the team that’s going to prevail.”

Pierce had 12 rebounds and five assists despite playing only 33 minutes because of foul trouble. Walker had 17 points and Walter McCarty and Tony Delk had 14 each.

McCarty also played exceptional defense on O’Neal.

“I was just trying to front O’Neal to keep him from getting the ball,” he said. “If he doesn’t get the ball, he can’t hurt us.”

Artest had 20 points and Ron Mercer added 12 for Indiana.

“Sunday is a must win,” Artest said. “I don’t think they are a very physical team, but they play hard.”

Boston extended its four-point halftime lead to 53-44 on a layup by Williams and a three-pointer by Pierce. It was 65-57 before Boston scored the next 10 points.

McCarty hit a 3-pointer and a dunk, J.R. Bremer made a three-pointer and Battie sank a layup. That made it 75-57, and Boston’s lead ranged from 16 to 24 the rest of the way.

“The second half, we usually get off to slow starts,” Walker said. “We’ve got to start to be the aggressor.”

Blount received an automatic ejection for a flagrant-2 foul in the second quarter, and Artest was ejected when he picked up his second technical with 2:40 left in the game after a hard foul on Pierce.

Indiana’s first technical was against Artest after he shoved Blount when the flagrant-2 foul was called. Jamaal Tinsley got one for remarks to a referee, and Brad Miller got one for throwing the ball in the air after being called for a foul. The Pacers got their fifth technical for a defensive three-second violation.

Blount’s flagrant-2 foul was committed against O’Neal. Blount blocked his shot under the basket and knocked him to the floor with 1:19 gone in the second quarter.