An Jap Convention finals rematch Wednesday night time in Indiana produced a consequence that collection didn’t.
A Celtics loss.
5 months after sweeping the Pacers to achieve the NBA Finals, Boston overcame a 24-point second-half deficit however couldn’t full the comeback, dropping 135-132 in extra time.
A Pascal Siakam 3-pointer with 6.1 remaining within the additional interval, sandwiched between misses by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, proved to be the distinction in a thriller at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
It was the primary lack of the season for the reigning champion Celtics, who entered Wednesday as one in all three remaining NBA unbeatens.
“There’s two issues to deal with,” head coach Joe Mazzulla instructed reporters. “There’s ensuring we get off to the place we’re not half a step behind, however you see what we’re able to at our greatest, high to backside. The blokes fought, in order that was good.”
Siakam completed with 29 factors and 11 rebounds, with Pacers reserve Bennedict Mathurin including 30 and 11 in a profession efficiency off the bench.
Tatum paced Boston with 37 factors, eight rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, however he went chilly in extra time, lacking his remaining 4 area targets (all 3-pointers). Ditto for Brown, who went 0-for-2 from the ground and 0-for-2 from the free-throw line in OT and was 1-for-11 from 3-point vary within the recreation. He completed with 25 factors, six rebounds, 5 assists, two steals and two blocks.
Derrick White was the Celtics’ best scorer (23 factors, 8-for-9, 5-for-5 from three, together with a Payton Pritchard-esque first-quarter buzzer beater). Pritchard added 16 factors on 4 triples whereas enjoying a season-high 39 minutes.
Boston shot simply 37.3% from the ground within the first half, and although it grabbed 18 offensive rebounds (together with seven from backup heart Luke Kornet) its contact across the rim was missing for a lot of the night time. The Celtics went simply 10-for-24 on pictures within the lane and 6-for-14 contained in the restricted space earlier than halftime. The quicker, extra environment friendly Pacers doubled them up in factors within the paint over the primary two quarters (40-20) regardless of enjoying with out injured beginning heart Myles Turner.
Indiana additionally outscored the Celtics 17-7 on first-half quick breaks and took a 10-point lead into the locker room — bigger than any deficit Boston had confronted earlier than Wednesday. Mazzulla mentioned shoring up the Celtics’ transition protection shall be a precedence transferring ahead, because the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons additionally have been capable of exploit them in that space for stretches.
“I believed (the Pacers) simply outplayed us,” Mazzulla instructed reporters. “I believed we have been a step behind on all the pieces. I believed their velocity, their tempo, they have been a step forward of us. And it wasn’t our greatest night time. I believed we missed loads of layups. We had some rebounds with two arms that we didn’t get, that we tapped out. We simply didn’t play our greatest, and Indiana performed nice.”
The Pacers upped their lead within the third quarter. Siakam opened the second half with back-to-back threes, and Mathurin, who sat out final season’s East finals with a torn labrum, couldn’t miss. The 22-year-old scored 14 of 17 Pacers factors throughout one four-minute stretch. Tyrese Haliburton additionally asserted himself with 12 third-quarter factors after a 1-for-8 first half.
The Pacers led by as many as 24, however a Celtics surge introduced them again inside placing distance. They closed the quarter with a 14-4 run that featured a Sam Hauser three and eight factors from Tatum, together with a driving layup on the buzzer. Indiana led 100-86 getting into the fourth.
“We stayed in it,” Mazzulla instructed reporters. “It was bizarre. I didn’t assume we have been enjoying nice, nevertheless it was proper round 15, 12 (factors). Simply chipping away, chipping away, and we made a recreation of it.”
A 3-pointer by Ben Sheppard with 7:27 remaining seemed like a possible dagger. However that’s when the Celtics, down 19 on the time, locked in. After a missed Pritchard three, Boston proceeded to attain on 11 of its subsequent 13 possessions.
Brown sank two free throws after which drove for a dunk. Tatum hit a 3. White hit two, the second bringing the Celtics again to inside single digits. The Pacers then proceeded to botch 4 consecutive possessions with an offensive foul, a journey and two turnovers, courtesy of steals by White and Brown. Brown turned his swipe right into a dunk that made it a three-point recreation with 1:04 remaining.
After two Tatum free throws adopted by a Haliburton reply — the one Pacers area aim within the remaining 5 minutes of regulation — Tatum obtained a go from Pritchard and buried a game-tying, step-back, straightaway three. Haliburton’s would-be winner rang iron as time expired, and the groups went to extra time tied 124-124.
Hauser returned to motion Wednesday after lacking three video games with a again damage. With a full bench for the primary time since opening night time, 11 Celtics gamers noticed significant minutes, together with second-year professional Jordan Walsh, who stored his small rotation position even with Hauser again.
Heart Neemias Queta didn’t test in till the fourth quarter however was wonderful as soon as he did. The 7-footer performed 14 consecutive minutes, not leaving the ground till the ultimate 30 seconds of extra time, and the Celtics outscored the Pacers by 18 factors throughout that span. Queta tallied 9 rebounds and a block in his restricted motion, together with 4 offensive boards in OT.
“That’s a credit score to him,” Mazzulla instructed reporters. “A credit score to the blokes that simply at all times keep prepared. We simply went with totally different lineups to attempt to chip away at it. Everyone performed a task in that. I believed Neemie did an excellent job on each ends of the ground. His exercise, his physicality, gave us a spark.”
Notably, Mazzulla didn’t play veteran starters Horford and Jrue Vacation within the fourth quarter or extra time. Each subbed out through the third quarter and didn’t return.
The 38-year-old Horford and 34-year-old Vacation are Boston’s two oldest gamers. Count on Mazzulla to provide one or each of them an evening off through the crew’s upcoming back-to-back in Charlotte. The Celtics will go to the Hornets – now coached by ex-C’s assistant Charles Lee – on Friday and Saturday night time.
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