Celtics 104, Pacers 113

Game Highlights

Photo of the Game

Paul Pierce protects the ball as Dahntay Jones harrasses him with tight one-on-one defense.
Ron Hoskins/NBAE/Getty

By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com

Key Moment

Momentum was a huge part of tonight's game, and no stretch of the night proved that notion better than Indiana's hot stretch that began with 9:37 remaining in the game.

When the Celtics had regained momentum and an 88-86 lead with 9:56 left on the clock, it would have been easy for the young Pacers team to fold under pressure and let the Celtics off the hook. Instead, they stood up to Boston and put together their own impressive run. Dahntay Jones started it all with a layup to tie the game at 88 at the 9:37 mark. He added a free throw and another jumper over the next two minutes that kept Indiana ahead 93-90. That's when the Celtics seemed to unravel. Kendrick Perkins was called for a technical foul and Doc Rivers was hit with one just 21 seconds later. Danny Granger, who finished with a game-high 29 points, hit both of those free throw attempts and gave his team a 96-92 lead. That's when the Pacers players and fans began to feel that this one was theirs.

But their run wasn't over there. Jones scored another four points, and after Roy Hibbert slammed one home off of a Jones assist, Granger driller a dagger of a 3-pointer that put Indiana ahead by nine with 4:55 left in the game. That lead was certainly not out of reach for this Celtics team to come back from, but Indiana has soaked up every ounce of momentum that was in their building, and that is what led them to a huge upset win.

Key Box Score Line

On a night where Paul Pierce was recovering from a knee sprain suffered against the Hawks less than 24 hours earlier, someone needed to step up to help the Celtics hang around tonight in Indianapolis. Ray Allen was that man, and despite the Cetics' loss, he finished with his best game of the season.

He was in attack mode all night long and finished with 24 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. The majority of his points came as the result of drives to the basket, often resulting in trips to the free throw line.

Box Score Nuggets

• Ray Allen was the only regular rotational player for the Celtics to have a positive +/- rating, finishing witha +1.
• Boston entered the game leading the league in both assists and assists-to-turnover ratio, but finished the night with only 18 assists compared to 14 turnovers.
• Indiana, on the other hand, came in as one of the worst assist-to-turnover teams in the league, but they racked up 34 assists in the game while committing ony 10 turnovers.
• The Pacers assisted on 34 of their 40 made field goals.
• Not one Pacer finished with more than eight rebounds.
• The Celtics matched their rebounding total from last night's game (29) by halftime of tonight's game.
• Boston finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds.
• The Celtics struggled again from 3-point range, making only three of their 12 attempts from behind the arc.
• Danny Granger scored a game-high 25 points for the Pacers and Dahntay Jones added 25.
• Shelden Williams was one rebound shy of a double-double, finishing with 10.

Quote of the Night

Kendrick Perkins on tonight's game: "Danny Granger getting 29 points, you live with that. The other guys hit crucial shots at the end. They had more energy. Their transition defense was incredible at times. At the end of the day they just played harder. Down the stretch we didn't hold our composure like we should have.."