Indiana Pacers Fall To 0-2 In Eastern Conference Finals

1. First Quarter

Both teams would come out of the gate shooting fairly well, though the Celtics would dominate the Pacers on the offensive glass early in the game, grabbing 6 offensive rebounds that would lead to 7 points. Both teams would also struggle with early turnovers, each committing 5 with 2 minutes left to play. Despite the issues, the Pacers would spend most of the period out in front, with Haliburton, Nesmith, and others all getting involved in the scoring. The 1st quarter would end with Indiana up 27-25.  

2. Second Quarter

The 2nd quarter would be a disastrous one for the Pacers. After being up 27-25 at the end of the 1st, the Celtics would go on a 17–0 to lead 42-27 with 7 minutes left in the period. Rebounding, bad shooting, and turnovers would all contribute to an atrocious quarter of basketball for Indiana. The Pacers would finally get their first points of the quarter about halfway through, and would at last begin to show some fight in the closing minutes of the quarter. Boston would end the half up 57-51.  

3. Third Quarter

The Pacers offense would come out of the break with momentum, as they would keep chipping away at the Celtics lead, but their defense continued to struggle. The Pacers would keep it close most of the way, as they would cut down on turnovers while out-rebounding the Celtics in the period, but Boston would go after Tyrese Haliburton time and time again, exploiting his lack of defense for easy points. Eventually, things began to snowball for the Pacers, as they fell behind by double digits once again as the 3rd wound down. The Celtics led 93-80 heading into the 4th.   

4. Fourth Quarter

The Celtics would open the 4th by quickly building the lead to a game-high 17-point lead. Meanwhile, Tyrese Haliburton would not start the final period and would be ruled out for the rest of the game. With the Pacers already in a hole, Haliburton’s absence would be the final nail in their coffin for Game 2, as the Celtics would take the win and the 2-0 series lead, 126-110. 

5. Top Performers

For Indiana: Pascal Siakam (28p, 5 r, 2a), Andrew Nembhard (16p, 5a, 2r), Obi Toppin (11p, 3r), Tyrese Haliburton (10p, 8 a, 4r). 

For Boston: Jaylen Brown (40p, 5r, 2a) Jayson Tatum (23p, 6r, 5a), Derrick White (23p, 6a, 4r), Jrue Holliday (15p, 10a, 3r) 

6. Notes

• Boston improved to 10-2 in the postseason, while the Pacers fell to 8-7 
• Celtics shot 53.4%, 40.5% from 3-point range 
• Pacers shot 52.4%, 37.9% from 3-point range 
• Boston outrebounded Indiana 40-37  
• Pacers committed 16 turnovers to the Celtics 12 
• Celtics shot 17-20 from the free-throw line, Pacers shot 11-16 
• Jaylen Brown’s 40 points was a career high in the playoffs 

7. Up Next

The series now returns to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4 of the series. Game 3 tips off Saturday, May 25th at 8:30pm, while Game 4 begins Monday, May 27th at 8:00pm. If the Pacers force a Game 5, that will be set for Wednesday at TD Garden in Boston.