A second half fast-paced resurgence saw the Pacers outscore the Celtics 37-23 in the third quarter of their 122-112 victory Monday. Down 55-48 at halftime, the Pacers left the locker room with fire in their eyes, gaining the lead by the start of the fourth quarter.
Amongst other Pacers, superstar Tyrese Haliburton was quiet in the first half with only seven points and two assists. Luckily for the Pacers, the Celtics did not shoot well either in the first half, allowing a weak Pacers defense to stay in the game.
The energy in Gainbridge Fieldhouse was infectious, leading to big play after big play from all Pacers players. The two heads of Indiana’s squad showed out on the big stage. Haliburton posted his first-ever triple double, forcing momentum swings through big plays such as a four-point play on Jaylen Brown with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter to give the Pacers a 109-105 lead. Alongside that, Myles Turner perfectly executed on a two-man pick-and-pop game with Haliburton having a 17-point, 10-rebound statline.
Positive Pacers Takeaways
Indiana’s basketball environment
After continuous disappointing years for the Pacers, a small rebuild and no playoff wins since the 2017-18 season, fans have a reason to fill up Gainbridge again. Following the “We Grow Basketball Here” motto, expect this crowd to show up and show out to games from this point on. Indiana Pacers basketball proved itself in a nationally televised game and has been striving and prospering under head coach Rick Carlisle’s vision.
Shooting
In a game with one of the best starting fives in all of the NBA playing against the highest point-per-game team in the NBA, this game was expected to be a battle. Battle Indiana did, shooting an impressive 47.5% from the 3-point line, and 81% on free throws. Sharpshooters from 3 included Haliburton (5-for-11), Buddy Hield (4-for-6), Bennedict Mathurin (4-for-7) and Obi Toppin (2-for-4).
Chemistry prevailing
The Pacers have shown time and time again that any single guy can score and step up. Seven out of nine Pacers players that got time scored 10+, and Mathurin scored 16 in 27 minutes. This team trusts every person on the floor at any time.
Negative Pacers Takeaways
Defense
The consistent, prevailing problem that will be written nearly every single time, the team seemingly allowed the Celtics players to do anything they wanted when they had the ball. Every single basket for Boston looked easy, with a lot of miscommunication on switches and double teams on Jayson Tatum. For a playoff run, this needs to improve.
Rebounding
Fifty-six rebounds for the Celtics versus 41 rebounds for Indiana gave the Celtics consistent second-chance opportunities (13 offensive rebounds for Boston). Boxing out is the issue, but there were some times where a lucky bounce landed in either Brown or Al Horford’s hands. This is the result of a small ball lineup, however boxing out seems to still be a huge issue.
Next Game
Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 5 p.m. ET on ESPN. (Semi-finals, In-Season Tournament)
