The Boston Celtics took their first loss of the season Wednesday night to the Indiana Pacers in overtime. The loss goes on the record but Boston still made a statement in its performance.
The Celtics started without momentum as the Pacers controlled the pace and turned to veteran Pascal Siakam as a primary offensive scorer. Indiana found advantages in the paint and in transition as the Celtics struggled outside of their half-court defense.
The Pacers took a double-digit lead into halftime and stretched it to as many as 24 points in the third quarter. Boston’s first loss appeared to be a blowout. Instead, the ever-talented Celtics, still without elite center Kristaps Porzingis, flipped a switch and leaned on top talent to sprint back into competition.
The Celtics erased that deficit over the final 17 minutes of the game with Jayson Tatum and Derrick White making shot after shot to chip away. Jaylen Brown played tenaciously at both ends of the floor and fought hard for loose balls. Boston got closer and closer as the NBA’s most talented roster backed up the hype.
Tatum brought the Celtics even with a game-tying triple with 13.1 seconds on the clock in regulation that sent the game to overtime. Missed free throws plagued Boston in the extra period and led to Siakam’s game-winning shot. The loss should frustrate the Celtics but also sent a message, or maybe a reminder, to the rest of the NBA: Boston’s roster, no matter what kind of cold start, can turn any game upside down, even against quality opponents.
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Boston posted 75 points over the final 22 minutes of the game and pushed the Pacers to the brink after Indiana cruised in control the majority of the night. That’s a resiliency that adds another layer of capability to Joe Mazzulla’s squad in its title defense.
The Celtics look to start a new win streak Friday night in Charlotte against the Hornets.
Featured image via Grace Smith/Imagn Images
