by Wheat Hotchkiss
If one thing is clear about the Indiana Pacers, it’s that they won’t go down without a fight.
The Pacers withstood a scorching-hot first half from the Celtics Tuesday night in Boston, battled back from a 20-point deficit on the road against the team with the NBA’s best record, and even briefly retook the lead for one possession in the third quarter. But they didn’t have quite enough to pull off the comeback, as the Celtics (37-11) held on for a 129-124 win.
Boston opened the fourth quarter with a 14-5 run to push the lead back to double digits and seemingly had the game locked up late, holding a 127-118 lead with under two minutes remaining.
But the Blue & Gold had one last charge in them. Buddy Hield converted a layup with 1:49 remaining, then Indiana forced an eight-second violation to get the ball back. Andrew Nembhard’s jumper cut the deficit to five with 1:32 left.
After Derrick White missed a 3-pointer, Aaron Nesmith’s layup made it a 127-124 game with 1:04 to play. Hield then came up with a steal, giving Indiana a chance to potentially tie the game.
Nesmith had a look from the right corner, but White flew in to swat his shot out of bounds. With just three seconds left on the shot clock, the Pacers inbounded to center Myles Turner on the left block. Turner tried to hoist a hook shot, but Jayson Tatum was there to swat away his shot forcing a shot clock violation.
Turner fouled Jaylen Brown on the other end and Boston’s All-Star forward hit both foul shots with 16.8 seconds remaining to seal the victory for the Celtics, who improved to 22-2 at home this season.
The loss snapped a three-game win streak for Indiana (27-21). Seven Pacers finished in double figures, led by Nesmith, who tallied 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting (4-of-7 from 3-point range), 12 rebounds, and seven assists against the team that drafted him.
Pascal Siakam added 23 points and six rebounds, while Turner scored 17 for the Blue & Gold.
FIRST QUARTER
All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton returned to the lineup after missing the past five games and 10 of the last 11 contests with a strained left hamstring. Haliburton played 22 minutes and recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists while going 5-for-16 from the field (1-for-5 from 3-point range). On a minutes restriction as he eases his way back, Haliburton did not play in the fourth quarter, subbing out for the final time with 4:42 remaining in the third.
“Just came together and made a group plan on what’s best for me to be able to be on the floor long-term, trying to play in every game that I can if I’m able to,” Haliburton said. “This was the plan coming in. Obviously, it frustrates me, I want to be on the floor…But I understand at the end of the day.”
The Celtics used a 14-5 run midway through the opening frame on Tuesday to jump out to a 24-15 lead and remained in front for the rest of the period.
White scored 15 points in the first quarter — including the final 10 for Boston — to propel the hosts to a 36-26 lead after one.
SECOND QUARTER
Haliburton did not attempt a shot but did dish out three assists in his first six-minute shift. He returned for the final 2:52 of the opening quarter and provided an All-Star highlight in the closing seconds of the frame, throwing down a right hand slam in traffic over White.
The Celtics used a 3-point barrage early in the second quarter to grow their lead. Tatum, Sam Hauser, and Jrue Holiday each hit a trey in the third minute of the frame to push Boston’s lead to 50-33.
Nesmith did his best to try to keep Indiana within striking distance, scoring eight points to help the Blue & Gold hang around. Siakam’s layup with 3:17 remaining cut the deficit to 67-55, but a 12-4 Boston run over the next two minutes — capped by another three from Tatum — pushed the Celtics’ lead to 20.
Haliburton had a late flurry to shave a little off that margin before the intermission, converting a layup with 12.7 seconds left in the half and then banking in a three from just across half court at the buzzer that made the score 81-66 entering the break.
Boston shot 63.8 percent from the field and went 12-for-21 (57.1 percent) from 3-point range in the opening half to build up a double-digit lead.
“Defense in the NBA is something that you can’t settle into,” Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. “You’ve got to have the posture to start the game and we didn’t. So that hurt us and it hurt our offense. It made it more difficult for Tyrese to get good looks, so it took a while for him to get going.”
THIRD QUARTER
The Pacers mounted a charge immediately after halftime. Indiana opened the third quarter with a 9-2 run as Nesmith and Turner made threes and then Haliburton converted a three-point play on a crafty move where he faked a behind-the-back pass before exploding to the rim.
The Blue & Gold kept coming from there. After a Kristaps Porzingis dunk, Indiana reeled off seven unanswered points. After back-to-back layups by Siakam, Haliburton found Hield for a three that trimmed Boston’s lead to 85-82 with 8:02 remaining in the third quarter.
The visitors would tie the game minutes later, when Siakam’s three at 5:22 knotted the game at 91. The Pacers even briefly took the lead at 94-93 following a Turner free throw at the 4:11 mark.
But Hauser hit a three on Boston’s very next possession to put the hosts back in front. The Celtics remained in front for the rest of the frame, taking a 106-103 lead into the fourth quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
Boston outscored Indiana 14-5 over the first 4:34 of the fourth quarter to extend its lead back to 120-108. Brown and Holiday scored five points apiece and Tatum added a three in that crucial spurt.
The Pacers would make one last run, but came up short in the end. With the win, the Celtics secured the season series over Indiana, finishing 3-2 on the year against the Blue & Gold and sweeping both games in Boston.
Tatum led all scorers with 30 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists, going 12-for-19 from the field and 4-for-9 from 3-point range. Brown added 25 points and six rebounds, White tallied 24 points and five assists, while Holiday stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, five boards, four assists, three blocks, and a steal. Porzingis recorded a double-double for the Celtics with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Nembhard finished with 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists off the bench for Indiana. Hield added 12 points, six boards, and four assists, while Obi Toppin collected 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Pacers will now travel to New York to take on the Knicks on Thursday night before returning to Indianapolis to host Sacramento on Friday on the second night of a back-to-back.
Inside the Numbers
Despite his minutes restriction, Haliburton recorded his team-leading 28th double-double of the season on Tuesday. Atlanta’s Trae Young (29) is the only guard in the NBA with more double-doubles this season.
Siakam surpassed 20 points for the fourth time in seven games since the Pacers acquired the two-time All-Star in a trade with Toronto.
The Pacers outrebounded the Celtics 50-40 overall and 19-7 on the offensive glass. Indiana scored a season-high 31 second-chance points, while limiting Boston to just six.
The Celtics’ 81 points in the first half were the most Boston has scored in any half this season.
Boston finished the night 17-for-36 (47.2 percent) from 3-point range, while Indiana was 12-for-39 (30.8 percent).
The Pacers lost for just the fourth time in 18 games this season when seven or more players score in double figures.
You Can Quote Me On That
“Our first half was poor – not enough presence, not enough force. The second half was obviously much better. Great third quarter. Tyrese got more comfortable as the game went along, gained rhythm, appeared to me to get stronger.” -Carlisle
“We weren’t that physical in the beginning. They made some tough shots, but early on they got some easy shots. A team like that, you can’t let them get comfortable early…The second half, I thought we came back a little bit more solid, playing harder, (with) more communication, a little bit more physical. That’s when we were able to tie the game and get to a good point. I thought our intensity was a lot better in the second half.” -Siakam on the Pacers’ second-half comeback
“We’re a third quarter team. That’s what we do. We’ve just got to do a better job of starting games…We just had to figure out how we were going to be able to get timely stops and get out and run and play our way.” -Haliburton
“Just played aggressive. Everything with him starts with his running and he’s learned to move well within out system and his recognition gets better each year. We knew he could shoot the ball and he’s developed a dependable drive game when he has the space. He did a good job.” -Carlisle on Nesmith’s productive night
“He’s been balling. I think that he has a chip on his shoulder from being traded and all the things that were said about him when he got traded. That’s what we love about him. To be able to sign him to a deal long-term for him to be here is really exciting because he’s an amazing player. Aaron Nesmith is a player that every team in the NBA wants. You want a guy like Aaron who will just do whatever he’s asked, puts his head down and works. I think that’s what we love about him. There’s definitely some extra juice for him when he plays Boston. That’s cool to see.” -Haliburton on Nesmith’s performance and importance in Indiana
“I think we’ve just done a great job of playing together. We’ve got a lot young, hungry dudes that have something to prove. Pascal coming helps obviously. But a lot of different guys stepping into bigger roles and being prepared. It’s a next-man up mentality (from the) top down.” -Haliburton on what he saw from the Pacers while he was sidelined
Stat of the Night
Nesmith, who was drafted by the Celtics with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, set or tied career highs in four different statistical categories on Tuesday night against his former team. His 26 points matched his career high (originally set on Oct. 28 against Cleveland), while his 12 rebounds, seven assists, and 11 made field goals all were new career bests.
Noteworthy
- After Tuesday’s win, the Celtics have now won the season series with the Pacers in four straight and six of the past eight seasons. The two teams split the season series in 2019-20 and 2017-18. Indiana has not won the season series since 2015-16.
- The Pacers were without reserve guards Bennedict Mathurin (right great toe sprain) and T.J. McConnell (illness) on Tuesday. It was Mathurin’s first missed game this season. Hield and Toppin are the only players who have played in all 48 games for Indiana this season.
- Boston did not have backup big men Al Horford (left neck sprain) and Luke Kornet (left hamstring tightness).
- Earlier on Thursday, Mathurin and Pacers two-way center Oscar Tshiebwe was chosen to participate in the 2024 Panini Rising Stars event at NBA All-Star 2024.
- Tuesday’s game was broadcast nationally on TNT, Indiana’s only regular-season game originally scheduled to be broadcast on national television (the Pacers wound up earning three national television games in December thanks to their run to the Championship game of the inaugural In-Season Tournament). Pacers legend and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller was on the call for Tuesday’s TNT broadcast.
Up Next
The Pacers visit Madison Square Garden to square off against Jalen Brunson and the Knicks on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 PM ET.
Originally posted on pacers.com