In a battle of what could be a playoff preview, the Indiana Pacers proved they aren’t the slightest bit intimidated by the Boston Celtics.
The Pacers claimed victory in a thriller Saturday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, as they got the last punch in on the Celtics to claim a hard-fought 102-101 victory.
Victor Oladipo (24-points), as he often is, was the difference-maker for Indiana. After a fairly quiet start to the game, the star guard began to heat up in the second half, culminating with a game-winning 3-pointer with seconds remaining.
Marcus Morris’ team-high 23 points was just one of five double-digit performances for the C’s, but it wasn’t enough to earn a road win.
With the loss, the Celtics fell to 6-3, while the Pacers improved to 7-4.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Gordon Hayward
C: Al Horford
GET ‘EM UP
The Celtics were letting it fly in Thursday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks, and that trend continued against the Pacers. Boston was cold as ice to start, connecting on one of its first 12 shots, but the visitors turned things around by hitting 10 of their last 15 attempts to claim a 28-18 lead after the opening 12 minutes.
There were 3-pointers galore in the first quarter, but neither side had much success as they both combined for a 4-for-22 mark from beyond the arc. Morris led all scorers in the early going with eight, while Irving (six points) and Tatum (five points) weren’t far behind.
DEADLOCK
It was a back-and-forth affair in the second, which concluded with the two teams tied at 45-45 thanks in large part to the Pacers closing the quarter on an 11-3 run. The Celtics weren’t able to maintain the momentum after finishing the first quarter strong, as the C’s connected on just six shots in the frame as part of their 30-percent shooting mark from the field.
Both teams received a lift from the bench in the frame. Morris provided six points courtesy of two 3-pointers to lead all scorers at the break with 14. Tyreke Evans, who was held scoreless in the first, provided seven points for Indiana. Oladipo (10 points) joined Morris as the only players to be in double figures at the half.
STRIDE FOR STRIDE
It was more of the same in the third, as neither side could create much separation. While the Pacers were able to grab a six-point lead near the halfway point of the quarter, the Celtics didn’t let things get out of hand and settled for a 72-72 tie heading into the fourth.
The C’s were powered by a pair of veterans in the third. After Horford collected nine points in the first five-plus minutes, Morris continued his big night with nine points of his own in the final 4:46 of the quarter. Indiana didn’t shoot particularly well in the third, but Bojan Bogdanović’s 10 points in the frame provided the bulk of the home team’s offense.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
The Celtics and Pacers traded punch after punch, as neither side could build a lead larger than three points for the bulk the fourth quarter. After an Irving 3-pointer put Boston up 98-95 with 1:08 to play, Oladipo trimmed the Celtics’ lead back to one with a mid-range jumper. That was until Irving connected on another bucket from beyond the arc to swell the C’s lead to 101-97 with 37 seconds remaining.
A pair of Oladipo free throws cut Boston’s lead back to two, and Irving’s ensuing miss underneath the basket opened the door for the Pacers. Oladipo took advantage of the opportunity, as he drilled a 3-pointer with 4.7 seconds to go to give Indiana a 102-101 lead. Boston had more than enough time to potentially win the game, but Hayward threw the ball away on the inbound pass to seal an Indiana win.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Oladipo with ice in his veins.
UP NEXT
The Celtics play the second contest of their five-game road trip Monday night against the Denver Nuggets. Tip-off from Pepsi Center is set for 9 p.m. ET.
