The Celtics’ last trip to Gainbridge Fieldhouse saw then advance to the NBA finals in a sweep over the Pacers. This time they entered as champions to face an Indiana team which had struggled through the early stages of the season. Nevertheless, they are a formidable opponent, and they caused a variety of issues for Boston, so much so that they even had a 24-point lead with less than seven minutes to play. Typically, teams clear the bench at this point, but not the Celtics, they raced back into the game and managed to send the game to OT. Unfortunately, Boston fell just short, and Indiana claimed a famous win.
Of all the issues Boston has faced to begin the season, their inability to lock in defensively, unlike last year’s championship season. It was their biggest issue again in this one as they allowed 35 first quarter points but managed to remain in the game with huge thanks to Jayson Tatum.
As usual through the opening four games of the season, Tatum played the entire first quarter before sitting out to begin the second. This is were Indiana opened up a commanding lead. Jaylen Brown was a non-factor in this game as he really struggled to create his usual offensive production – especially from three (1-11) – without it the Pacers picked up a 10-point first half lead.
It was more of the same to begin the third period, Benedict Mathurin came off the bench and caught fire, finishing with 30-points. What was the most impressive part of Indiana’s performance was that they did it all on a night where their two premier guards, Andrew Nembhard and Tyresse Haliburton, combined for just 19 points.
The fourth quarter looked like the end of the road for Boston, as the home team stretched their lead beyond 20 points. At this point Joe Mazzulla inserted Neemias Queta and the champions sprung into life. They roared back into the game, before Tatum hit a clutch three to send the game into overtime. After some back-and-forth in the extended period, Pascal Siakam connected on a huge three (his 6th of the night) to give the Pacers a 2-point lead. Brown got the ball with the opportunity to win it for Boston, but his shot was well short, and Indiana claimed an emphatic victory 135-132.
Post-game Jaylen Brown spoke on what he felt went wrong on the night, via NBCSports Boston: “Our energy was just lacklustre and a lot of that was on me … I struggled to convert at the rim and didn’t shoot the ball well”. The Celtics now head to North Carolina to face the Hornets on back-to-back nights in Spectrum Center.
By Will C
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