The Indiana Pacers defied the odds, bringing down the favored Boston Celtics, 122-112, on Monday, December 4, in an In-Season tournament quarterfinal matchup at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The win knocked out the Celtics from the In-Season Tournament race, with Tyrese Haliburton leading the way. The All-Star guard played a pivotal role in the win, particularly that rare four-point play with 1:33 left in the contest that tilted the tide, the Associated Press reported.
Read more: Celtics: 3 Reasons Why Kristaps Porzingis Injury May Hamper NBA Title Chances This Season
The 23-year-old guard ended up finishing with a triple-double against the Celtics. Haliburton tallied 26 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds, per ESPN. He was initially listed as questionable due to an undisclosed illness, but his presence proved vital for the Pacers.
"I don't even know if it was as much about what was at stake as what they did to us the last time. I think that (51-point loss) left a bad taste in our mouths," Haliburton said.
Here are some takeaways from the Pacers In-Season tournament win over the Celtics
The Pacers show they can play defense
Before the game, the Celtics were expected to be the tougher team on the defensive end. Although that showed, the Pacers did their part with their hustle. They had more steals over the Celtics, 8 to 5, part of the reason behind the 17 turnovers of Boston.
Some of those happened in the dying minutes, one of which was against Jayson Tatum. This was in the dying seconds when the Celtics were trying to catch up with the Pacers.
Pacers got it done from beyond the arc
The Celtics vs. Pacers matchup was expected to be a shootout from the start. Tatum and Jaylen Brown showed the way for the Celtics, but the Pacers shot it better from the three-point region.
Indiana converted 19 of their 40 three-point attempts to finish with a 47.5% clip. The Celtics managed to sink only 12 of their 41 tries for a woeful 29.3%.
Turnovers told heavily on the Celtics
One of the glaring stats for the Celtics is their 17 turnovers compared to only 6 of the Pacers.
Failing to take care of the ball, Boston allowed Indiana more chances on their offensive end, which worked to their advantage, particularly in the end.
Also worth mentioning for Boston is that despite Kristaps Porzingis being out, they still controlled the boards, 56-41. They also used their height to their advantage, swatting away 9 shots compared to only 4 for the Pacers.
The Pacers now await the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks matchup on Thursday, December 7. Meanwhile, the Celtics face the loser of the Bucks vs. Knicks matchup on Friday, December 8, per CBS Sports.
Who has the edge in the Bucks vs. Knicks matchup?
But if oddsmakers are to be believed, the Bucks are picked to win over the Knicks.
Milwaukee is a 6-point spread favorite over New York per BegMGM Sportsbook via USA Today. The Moneyline for this game is -246 for Milwaukee and +202 for New York, with the over/under at 223.
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