Pacers 123-114 Celtics (December 29, 2024) Game Recap

BOSTON – Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points and the Indiana Pacers rebounded from a 37-point loss to Boston two nights earlier by defeating the Celtics 123-114 in the rematch on Sunday night.

Andrew Nembhard, who returned after missing Friday’s game with tendinitis in his left knee, had 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists for the Pacers. Pascal Siakam contributed 17 points and Bennedict Mathurin had 14.

Jaylen Brown led Boston with 31 points and six assists. Jayson Tatum had 22 points, nine boards and six assists. Payton Pritchard added 21 points and Derrick White scored 17.

The Celtics have lost their sixth home game this season. Last season at TD Garden, they went 37-4 in the regular season and 9-2 in the playoffs en route to the NBA Championship.

Takeaways

Pacers: After a huge loss, coach Rick Carlisle wanted his team to respond with a physical start. The Pacers went inside instead of relying on jumpers and outscored Boston 66-48 in the game to compensate for the loss of injured forward Obi Toppin (sprained left ankle).

Celtics: After making 23 3-pointers in a lopsided win on Friday, they went on to make just 16 of 54 from long range while missing starters Jrue Holiday (shoulder injury) and Kristaps Porzingis (sprained left ankle).

Key moment

The Celtics had cut an 11-point deficit to 105-103 on Tatum’s three-point play with 7:38 to play before the Pacers scored the next 13 points in nearly two minutes to take control.

Key statistics

Indiana made 22 free throws while Boston only made 16.

Next

The Pacers host the Bucks on Tuesday afternoon and the Celtics play at home against the Raptors on the same day.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba