Indiana Pacers erase 20-point deficit but come up just short against Boston Celtics
The Indiana Pacers were in Boston on Tuesday night to battle with the Celtics. It was the fifth meeting of the season between the two teams, who have an extra matchup this campaign thanks to the In-Season Tournament.
The game was on TNT with Kevin Harlan, Allie LaForce, and Pacers legend Reggie Miller on the call. Indiana was excited about the opportunity to play in front of a larger audience and hoped to showcase what they could do during the game.
Early in the action, they showed what they have been all season — a great offensive team that sometimes struggles to get stops. It took less than 2.5 minutes for the game to reach 10-10 on the scoreboard — both squads were scoring with ease.
For the Celtics, that continued, but Indiana slowed down for the next few moments. Boston went on a 10-2 run in the ensuing stretch and took a 20-12 lead, prompting a timeout from Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. He wanted to talk things over.
Slowly but surely, Carlisle's team got rolling after the stoppage. They chopped the lead down to five over the next few plays at 24-19, and their defense looked better after they brought it some reserves. Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard came in to battle on the perimeter.
The Celtics quickly answered, though, and went up nine just a few possessions later. Their talent advantage was obvious early as they slowed Indiana's offense. The blue and gold needed to find ways to create better shots.
After one frame, Boston was ahead 36-26. Derrick White was terrific for the hosts with 15 points and three assists. The Pacers were led by seven points from Aaron Nesmith.
The second period started with another three from the Celtics, who were running hot from deep to that point. They are perhaps the best three-point shooting team in the league, and when they get rolling they are tough to beat.
They continued to knock down outside shots while Indiana continued to struggle — star guard Tyrese Haliburton, who was returning from injury, started off the game 1/8 from the field. At the time, the Celtics led by 14.
Boston never slowed down. They reached 10/17 from three in the second quarter after making several in a row. Even as the Pacers offense got better, they struggled to keep up.
Indiana began to look more comfortable as the quarter progressed, but they still couldn't get enough stops. They were able to cut the lead down to 12 a few times and hang around. But they were still down big and needed to string together some stops.
Instead, it was Boston who got some stops. Their lead ballooned to 19 in the next few minutes, and they had a chance to break the game open just before halftime.
That they did. WIth Jayson Tatum rolling for the Celtics, they expanded their advantage to 20 with just over one minute to go, and Pascal Siakam fouled Jaylen Brown on an outside shot just after. It was becoming a blowout after less than 24 minutes.
The foul on Siakam was overturned after a review, though, which was an important break for the Pacers. About a minute later, Haliburton banked in a halfcourt shot at the buzzer of the second quarter, which was significant for Indiana's momentum. At halftime, Indiana was down 15 at 81-66. They were getting crushed by an on-fire Celtics team, but two big plays in the last minute of the half gave them a chance.
The second half started with excellent play from the Pacers, who began to get some stops and cut into the lead. The blue and gold hit some threes, too, and suddenly found themselves down by just eight. Their focus was much better.
Indiana kept pushing and cut the lead to three with 8:07 left in the third quarter. They cut a 20-point lead down to that number in four minutes and 37 seconds of play. It was an impressive run, and one that the road team desperately needed. They were right back in the game.
Boston took a timeout at the time, and the Celtics scored coming out of the stoppage. But the game had new life. It was competitive again, and every bucket felt massive for momentum.
With just over six minutes having passed in the third quarter, the Pacers made another short burst. It was a 5-0 run capped off by a Siakam three, and suddenly the game was tied at 91. Indiana erased a 20-point deficit in less than one quarter.
Tatum instantly answered for the Celtics, though, and reminded everyone that Indiana's work was far from done. Boston is the best team in the NBA for a reason. They don't roll over.
Not long after, a free throw from Myles Turner gave Indiana the lead again. It was their first advantage since very early in the game. The energy was sucked out of the TD Garden — Celtics fans watched their team fall behind quickly after being ahead by 20.
But once again, Boston answered. This time, it was a Sam Hauser three. The back-and-forth game was taking shape.
At that point, it was revealed on the broadcast that Haliburton was done playing for the night. He was at 13 points and 10 assists at the time and had played 22 minutes. Losing him for the remainder of the game was tough for Indiana, but he reached a playing time restriction.
The blue and gold still closed the quarter strong, and they were down 106-103 heading into the final period. They outscored the Celtics 37-25 in the third frame and were back within striking distance.
The final quarter started with good play from Boston, who was able to expand their lead to seven after less than two minutes of action in the fourth. They looked effective again, and the crowd was engaged in the action. It was a significant stretch.
Their lead reached nine not long after, and Carlisle took a timeout in response. His team needed to talk things over after a crummy start to the last 12 minutes. Boston was on a 7-0 run.
The Celtics continued their good play after the stoppage and pushed their lead to double digits. but Indiana responded and cut that advantage back to eight quickly. They weren't out of it, but the Pacers margin for error was much smaller with Haliburton done.
With four minutes left, the blue and gold were still fighting to get back into the game. They were down by seven and still had a shot, but they needed to be excellent down the stretch.
That deficit remained with 2:50 on the clock. The Celtics were playing composed basketball late even with a close scoring margin. Their best level is tough for Indiana to keep up with.
The Pacers cut the lead to five with 90 seconds to go and got a stop soon after. They were playing fantastic basketball in the final minutes. Not long after, Nesmith dropped in a layup and made it a one possession game.
Indiana got a steal on the next defensive possession, and they had a chance to tie the game with about 30 seconds left. But they were thwarted by the Celtics, who made several huge defensive plays to get a stop. The action would come down to a few possessions.
Jrue Holiday knocked down two foul shots 11 seconds later, and the Celtics were in the driver's seat. They just needed one more stop or decent free throw shooting to get the win.
Obi Toppin missed one more three-point shot, and Boston got it done. The final score was 129-124. Despite the Pacers erasing a 20-point deficit, they came up short.
Haliburton finished with 13 points and 10 assists. Nesmith had 26 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Siakam finished with 23 points and six rebounds.
The Pacers fell to 27-21 with the loss. They next play on Thursday when they take on the Knicks in New York.
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