Indiana Pacers survive versus Boston Celtics even after Tyrese Haliburton injury
The Indiana Pacers hosted the Boston Celtics for the second-straight time on Monday night. The Celtics convincingly beat the Pacers on Saturday, so Indiana was going to have revenge on their mind.
Boston was without Jayson Tatum due to ankle injury management this time around, so the blue and gold had a better chance at victory before the game even started. But they needed to take advantage against a Celtics team that entered the night 2-0 without Tatum this season.
Indiana was solid early, racing out to a 7-4 lead and looking more comfortable than they did two nights earlier. That wasn't going to be easy to maintain against a strong Celtics defense, but setting the tone was important.
The next few minutes slightly favored Boston, who kept things close and tied the game multiple times. They were struggling from long range and neither team was getting to the foul line, so paint pressure was an interesting early theme.
With barely over five minutes to go in the first quarter, Bennedict Mathurin fouled ex-Pacer Oshae Brissett hard under the basket, and it was ruled a flagrant. That gave Brissett two foul shots and the Celtics possession of the ball, which they used to re-take the lead at 16-15. It was their first advantage of the game.
Mathurin hit a three soon after to give the blue and gold the lead back, and the game turned into a back-and-forth battle. Each team traded the lead for a few possessions, with Jaylen Brown proving to be a problem for Indiana early.
Mathurin kept finding space on the floor and had 10 first-quarter points with about a minute remaining in the period. He was playing well and was the only Pacers bench player who could put the ball in the basket early.
Boston led 34-33 after the first quarter. Payton Pritchard hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to give the road team the lead. Mathurin had 13 points at that point while Brown had 12 for Boston.
The second quarter began with Boston looking like the better team. They expanded their lead to five early in the frame and were consistently making life difficult for the Pacers.
Indiana remained steady, though, and they recaptured the advantage with just over eight minutes left in the half. Neither team looked like the better squad for the first 16 or so minutes of action.
A few stoppages broke up the rhythm of the second quarter. Isaiah Jackson knocked Luke Kornet to the ground and then approached him after the whistle was blown, leading to a technical foul. Not long after, a Brown offensive foul was challenged by the Celtics, but it was unsuccessful. With six minutes to go in the half, the score was tied at 50.
The next key moment came with about three minutes left in the first half. Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton slipped and fell to the floor. He did the splits and was in a ton of pain on the hardwood. He was surrounded by his teammates before being carried off the floor with the Pacers down by six.
The Celtics surged just before halftime and went up by 11 with just over one minute to go. Indiana took a timeout with 1:09 to go to regroup after a big injury and poor play.
They were able to get another bucket just before halftime, but the Celtics had momentum. It was 68-59 at the break. Brown had 25 for Boston while Mathurin led Indiana with 15.
The second half started with a barrage of threes from the Pacers, who were able to cut Boston's lead to three in the first few minutes of the second half. They were playing well and pushing the pace early in the third.
The Celtics called a timeout with a three-point advantage, but Indiana was the next team to score — and they quickly tied the game up at 80 soon after. The ending to the first half was crummy for Indiana, but they responded quickly and were already back in the game.
They took the lead a few possessions later at 86-83 and suddenly had all the momentum. They were playing great basketball despite not having their star point guard.
As the third frame progressed, T.J. McConnell continued to be excellent for Indiana. He was pushing the tempo and kept the Pacers offense going, which kept them in it. With 3:40 to go in the third quarter, Boston was ahead 95-92.
Indiana kept fighting, and they were back ahead with less than a minute remaining in the third period. Jalen Smith had a big sequence to give the Pacers the advantage again, and McConnell followed it up with momentum-snatching plays.
After three periods, the Pacers were ahead 103-101. They scored 44 points in the third frame and were able to take the lead back even after losing their star. It was a very impressive quarter, and they needed to follow it up to get a win.
The final 12 minutes started with more good play from the Pacers, who were able to expand their lead to five in the first two minutes of the period. They were playing the exact style they needed to if they were going to hold a lead against a premier team without their best player.
The Pacers kept pushing and led by five still with 6:47 left in the game. Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith had just checked back in for Indiana, and Turner hit a huge shot between two defenders to extend his team's lead.
With about five minutes to go, Mathurin and Jrue Holiday traded tough threes to keep the game close. It was crunch time, and at that point it was a one-point game. The Celtics were on a mini-run, but the Pacers kept finding answers.
Boston tied the game up with 3:25 to go. They were surging behind good plays from their All-Star talents. But the Pacers, who were resilient throughout the second half, surged again. Mathurin hit a huge three, and Nesmith followed it up with a terrific and-one that got the Pacers bench on their feet. It was 129-124 at the time.
Brown answered with consecutive buckets for the Celtics to make it a one-point game. He was excellent all night long and was up to 40 points at the time. Without him, Indiana would have been comfortably ahead.
Kristaps Porzingis hit a three on the next Celtics possession to give the road team a two-point lead, but McConnell quickly answered and tied things up. A Boston timeout with 35.5 seconds to go calmed down the arena, but it was 131-131 at that time. The game was set up for a wild ending.
Brown missed on one end for the Celtics before McConnell missed on the other for the Pacers. With 3.2 seconds left and the game handing in the balance, Brown took a jumper and missed, but Hield was called for a defensive foul.
The Pacers challenged the foul and it was successful. It was called a clean block. With barely over three seconds remaining, the blue and gold, they threw the ball into Mathurin. He turned and took a three before being fouled by Porzingis.
There was 0.6 to go as Mathurin stepped to the charity stripe for three attempts. He made the first two but missed the third. Boston took a timeout with 0.3 remaining.
They missed a tip-in, and the Pacers held on for a 133-131 win. Even with their star player injured, they held on in the second half and outscored Boston 74-63. It was an impressive victory.
Haliburton finished with seven points and six assists. Mathurin had 26 points and Nesmith had 17. The Pacers improved to 21-15.
Indiana hosts the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
- Tyrese Haliburton exits Indiana Pacers game vs Boston Celtics with leg injury. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers success against Milwaukee Bucks shows growth and direction of Pacers franchise. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers 50-assist night shows how connected the current team is. CLICK HERE.
- Indiana Pacers six-game winning streak snapped by impressive Boston Celtics defense. CLICK HERE.
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