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Celtics' Fending Off Pacers' Second-Half Surge Reflects Their Determination to 'Fight Through Everything'
The Boston Celtics put 81 points on the board in the first half of Tuesday's tilt vs. the Indiana Pacers. That's their highest-scoring output in the first 24 minutes of a game this season. They became the sixth team in the 2023-24 campaign to produce at least 80 points before the break.
But they also gave up 40 points in the second quarter. The visitors entered intermission with an 18-2 advantage in second-chance scoring, consistently capitalizing on their 11 offensive rebounds.
That kept them in striking distance, starting the third frame down 15 despite the hosts' offensive onslaught.
And in the period that's given Boston more trouble than any other in recent years, the Celtics weren't ready to go after the break. Indiana quickly had them on their heels, with their relentless pace and motion offense paving the way to nine more second-chance points. That was a crucial aspect of how the Pacers outscored the hosts 37-25 in the first 12 minutes after halftime, turning what was once a 20-point deficit into a 106-103 contest entering the fourth quarter.
The final frame didn't go much better for Boston offensively. The Celtics again shot below 44 percent from the field and manufactured fewer than 26 points. But despite generating only 23, they didn't let Indiana's second-half surge or their struggles to recapture their rhythm undermine them defensively.
The hosts' effort on that end of the floor is at the heart of how they closed out Tuesday's 129-124 win. They held the visitors to 21 points on 41.7 percent shooting, including 1/7 (14.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
Exemplifying that was Jrue Holiday getting floored by a screen, scooping himself off the TD Garden parquet, then proceeding to put the clamps on Andrew Nembhard. That led to an Aaron Nesmith corner three as the shot clock neared expiration. The former Celtics lottery pick finished with a team-high 26 points, but none came on that attempt as Derrick White swooped in to swat it away.
The Pacers produced a good look under the rim on the ensuing baseline inbound, but Jayson Tatum, whose 30 points led all scorers in the matchup, rejected Myles Turner, forcing a shot-clock violation. That kept the hosts ahead 127-124 with under 30 seconds left.
The visitors then sent Holiday to the free-throw line, where he gave Boston the breathing room needed to seal the victory.
It's precisely the type of game Celtics' head coach Joe Mazzulla conveyed he wanted to see more of while guarding against a sense of entitlement creeping into his team or its fan base, saying he'd love for them to go through more experiences like the 17-point hole they had to dig out of in Monday's 118-112 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.
When Kristaps Porzingis, who returned to the lineup after missing Boston's last two tilts due to a left ankle sprain, arrived at the podium, he expressed of his bench boss's sentiment, "When he said that, that was so on point. I couldn't agree more. We are really good, and we can win games without being 100 hundred percent locked in; we can still win games. But that's not what we're trying to achieve. We want to be the best version of this team that we can be. And that's why we need to lock in each and every game, each and every quarter, each and every possession as long as we can."
And while the seven-foot-three center, who finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds on Tuesday, acknowledged the Celtics didn't play up to their standard in the second half, he stressed it wasn't due to lack of effort, but rather, "they're that type of team. They kind of make you look bad because they go for offensive rebounds all the time, they move around like crazy, play chaotic, they get those second-chance points, and it looks really bad. (It) kills the energy, kills the crowd, (and) kills our energy, so it's tough and ugly to play against them. But we fought, and we got the win at the end," adding, "We can take lessons from this game."
Holiday, who registered 17 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three blocks, became the sixth guard in franchise history to do so, joining Reggie Lewis, Dennis Johnson, Dee Brown, Tony Allen, and Terry Rozier.
Afterward, he emphasized, "We gotta be able to fight through everything," continuing, "Being able to battle back and win those is huge for us."
Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports
"I think we've been holding our ground," expressed the two-time All-Star. "I think that, obviously, we haven't been as sharp or as perfect as we would like to have been. But I feel like we've came out, we've played a level of basketball that is our standard. I feel like we've shared the ball; we missed some shots, we got off to some slow starts in some games that got away from us. But for the most part, we've been a physically tough, mentally tough team, and I think that's important that we haven't skipped any steps.
"We haven't let the rope go, that we've been guarding our [expletive] off all year. We've been moving the ball pretty much all year. We've been rebounding the ball well all year, and those are all good signs to a good team. So, I think we haven't skipped any steps; this is a tough moment, guys are out, tough part of the season mentally for everybody, and I think we've been responding well."
Further Reading
Celtics Maturation Molded by Experience: 'It Builds, Like, an Armor'
Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Top Heat in One of Their Best Performances This Season
Celtics Finding Joy in Basketball and Each Other's Company: 'We've Been Blessed'
Fixated on Winning, Jayson Tatum Again Proves He's Not 'Bored Making the Right Play Over and Over'
Brad Stevens Shares What Celtics Are Looking to Add and How He Hopes to Do So
Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'
Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'
Jaylen Brown Shares His View of What Defines 'Celtics Basketball'
