Celtics Wrap: Boston Knocked Out Of Tournament Following Loss To Pacers

The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers battled in a playoff atmosphere game in the opening game of the NBA's In-Season Tournament Knockout Round at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday night.

The Pacers came away with the 122-112 win to advance to the semifinals in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

With the loss the Celtics fell to 15-5 on the season, while the Pacers improved to 11-8.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics and Pacers tipped off in a game that meant a little bit more than just a regular-season win.

With 16 lead changes and 15 ties throughout the game, the Celtics and Pacers superstars traded buckets with Boston's largest lead coming at the end of the first half when they led Indiana by seven. On the other side of the court, the Pacers' largest lead was 11 in the third quarter where they outscored the Celtics 37-23 in the frame.

Tyrese Haliburton was the difference maker for Indiana =, recording his first career triple-double scoring 26 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and adding 13 assists.

Former Celtics forward Aaron Nesmith was strong off the bench for Indiana recording 14 points in 31 minutes.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics. Tatum scored 32 points, shooting 13-for-26 from the field. Before fouling out in the final seconds of the game, Brown scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

STARS OF THE GAME
-- Brown scored 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds for the Celtics before fouling out of the game with 10.7 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

JB slam right on time 😤 pic.twitter.com/O9aS2epORl

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 5, 2023

-- Hauser was solid off the bench for the Cs, knocking down five shots from beyond the arc for 15 points. He also grabbed six boards in 20 minutes of playing time.

-- Tatum recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 32 points and 12 rebounds.

Count the basket +1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/AyrVO8E09E

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 5, 2023

WAGER WATCH
FanDuel Sportsbook set the odds at +280 that Hauser would connect on four or more three-pointers in the game. The Celtics forward cleared those odds by going 5 for 6 from downtown in the contest. A $100 wager on Hauser would've netted a $380 payout.

UP NEXT
The Celtics will head back home to host the loser of the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks matchup on Friday at TD Garden. Tipoff is to be determined.