Boston Celtics 142 – Indiana Pacers 105 (Dec. 27th, 2024) Game Recap

1. First Quarter

Indiana had to change the starting lineup tonight with Andrew Nembhard out with injury management. The starters for the Pacers were Tyrese Haliburton, Ben Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner. It took over a minute for someone to score, but it was the Celtics scoring first with Jayson Tatum. Boston was quickly ahead 6-2 when Derrick White splashed the first of the team’s seven first quarter threes. Indiana would never take the lead in the first quarter, but they did tie it once with Turner’s only successful field goal that made it 11-11. Boston went on a 23-6 blitz to go double up Indiana 34-17 with 2:09 left. Rick Carlisle had to call a timeout after five points from Jaylen Brown. Indiana’s largest deficit in the first quarter was 18 points with fifty-five seconds left in the opening quarter. After twelve minutes, Indiana trailed 39-22. Brown led all scorers in the first quarter with 15 points on a perfect 6/6 shooting. Indiana’s leading scorer was Mathurin with 7 points. Siakam was on track for a double-double with 5 points and 5 rebounds.

2. Second Quarter

Indiana was holding water to start the second quarter. The only downfall is that the Pacers could not chip away at their deficit against the defending champions. With 6:12 left in the first half, Haliburton knocked down a three to make it 48-34. The wheels would then fall off quickly. Indiana struggled on both ends of the floor the next 4:19. Boston went on a 17-3 run to go on top 65-37 with 1:53 left in the half following an Al Horford three. That was the most Indiana trailed in the first half. Siakam knocked down two threes to close the first half scoring for the Pacers to trim the deficit to 67-45. Brown added 8 more points in the second quarter, to bring his first half scoring total to 23 points. Haliburton and Siakam each had 8 points in the first quarter, but it was Siakam leading the team in scoring with 13 first half points. Boston was 11/29 from three-point range in the first half compared to Indiana’s 7/23. Boston also outrebounding Indiana in the first half 29-20.  

3. Third Quarter

The probability of Indiana overcoming a 22-point halftime deficit in Boston was slim, but to do so, they needed to start the second half strong. However, the Celtics would not let Indiana get any sense of momentum. Boston was able to extend its lead to 27 points three minutes into the quarter following another three from Brown. Indiana would not respond following the push from the Celtics either. At the halfway point of the quarter, the Pacers were trailing 87-57 after two Horford free throws. Tatum would match Brown with 12 points in the quarter, but his three with 4:10 remaining in the period elevated Boston to a quarter high 32-point lead. Indiana had its first real run in the game by outscoring the defending champions 11-2 to trim its deficit to 97-74 when Jarace Walker converted a dunk. After thirty-six minutes, Indiana trailed Boston 103-78. Brown led all scorers with 35 points followed by Tatum with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Indiana’s leading scorer was Haliburton with 19 points and 9 assists.

4. Fourth Quarter

With this game decided by the end of the third quarter, Rick Carlisle elected to not play Haliburton, Siakam, or Turner for a second in the final quarter of play. Indiana was still outscored by twelve points, that’s because Joe Mazzula elected to play Brown for a few minutes to see if he could get to 50 points. They still went 5/9 from three-point range with most of the production coming from the Celtics reserves. Jarace Walker flashed in the final quarter for Indiana with 9 points on 2/4 shooting and finding a way to get to the charity stripe six times, converting four. Boston nearly took a forty point lead a couple of times, but Indiana never let the lead stretch out that far. Boston’s largest lead was 38 points on four instances. The final score tonight in Boston was 142-105.  

5. Top Performers

Jaylen Brown (44p, 5r, 4s, 3a), Jayson Tatum (22p, 13r, 4a, 2s), Payton Pritchard (18p, 10a, 8r), and Al Horford (13p, 5r, 2a). For Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton (19p, 9a, 4r), Bennedict Mathurin (18p, 6r), Pascal Siakam (14p, 9r), Jarace Walker (14p, 4a, 2s), and Thomas Bryant (12p, 7r). For tonight’s full box score, click here.

6. Notes

• Indiana and Boston have each won a game now in the season series
• Indiana’s five game road winning streak snapped with the loss
• Indiana now 7-12 away from Gainbridge Fieldhouse and 15-17 overall
• Indiana is now 5-10 without Andrew Nembhard
• Indiana’s 37-point loss is the worst loss of the season
• Jaylen Brown’s 44 points are a season high
  • 3rd most points scored in a game in his career
• Jaylen Brown’s 23 first half points tied the most scored in a half this season
• Jayson Tatum’s streak of consecutive 30+ point games against the Pacers was snapped at 9 games
• Jayson Tatum recorded his 8th straight double-double
• Jarace Walker has recorded back-to-back double-digit games for the first this season
  • Walker’s 15 points tied the second most points in a game this campaign
• Myles Turner was held under 10 points for the 4th time this season
• Thomas Bryant’s 12 points are a season high

7. Next Up

Indiana will have a day off in Massachusetts and then take on the Celtics again on Sunday evening. Pat Boylan will have the pregame coverage starting at 5:30pm. Mark Boyle and Eddie Gill will have the play-by-play starting at 6pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan.