Three Studs, Three Duds From Celtics’ Dramatic Loss Vs. Pacers

The Boston Celtics watched their undefeated start come to a close against the Indiana Pacers with a 135-132 overtime loss at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

The season’s first rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals saw the home team run away after a fast start that pushed Boston back. The Pacers did not let up as the Celtics trailed by as many as 24 points in the third quarter. The Celtics led a furious comeback to force overtime before Indiana threw the final punch in the last seconds of the extra period.

The loss marked Boston’s first of the season at 4-1 while Indiana improved to 2-3.

Here are three studs and three duds from Wednesday’s Celtics-Pacers game:

STUDS
Jayson Tatum
Tatum didn’t start efficiently from the field, but recovered (10-for-25 FG, 5-for-18 3PT) to lead the Celtics in scoring with 37 points and offered a few impacts to start transition attacks. He delivered the shot of the night with a game-tying triple with 13.1 seconds left in regulation that sent the game to overtime.

Payton Pritchard
Pritchard did provide a spark and acted as the catalyst the few times the Celtics found ways to lead the tempo against the Pacers in this matchup. Pritchard added 16 points and four rebounds in the loss.

Derick White
White delivered what’s usually deserved for Pritchard when he pulled up for a long three-pointer to beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter. White gave the Celtics 23 points on an efficient outing. His defensive tenacity, including a late steal off the inbound, kept the Celtics alive in the fourth quarter. He followed it up with a three to even the score at 127 in overtime.

DUDS
Jrue Holiday
Holiday posted the second-lowest plus-minus for the Celtics (-19) and failed to find a groove offensively after an early miss on a layup in the opening minutes of the contest. Holiday struggled on the same court that he sealed Game 3 for Boston with a key steal in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals.

Al Horford
Boston’s veteran big man had a hard time defensively against Indiana’s Pascal Siakam. The fellow veteran dominated the game against the Celtics and boosted the Pacers with 29 points, including the game-winning shot, on the night. Luke Kornet could fall into this spot as well.

First-Half Defense
The Pacers scored 67 first-half points, the most so far this season for Boston. Indiana had total control of the pace of the floor and kept the Celtics on their heels. The Pacers shot just south of 53% in the opening 24 minutes of the game and dictated their offense with 40 points in the paint and 17 more on the fast break.