Game Rewind: Pacers 117, Celtics 112

Wednesday, Dec. 21 at 7:30 PM ET at TD Garden

Slow starts have been a problem for the Pacers for much of this season, but that wasn't a concern on Wednesday night in Boston.

Indiana (16-16) dropped a season-high 42 points in the first quarter, led by 30 before halftime, and held on down the stretch for a 117-112 road win over the Celtics (22-9).

Tyrese Haliburton looked like an All-Star in the victory, scoring a team-high 33 points and dishing out eight assists to lead the Blue & Gold. The third-year point guard went 12-for-24 from the field and 6-for-13 from 3-point range on the night, helping Indiana overcome a 41-point performance by Celtics All-Star forward Jayson Tatum.

"Just playing team basketball," Haliburton told Bally Sports Indiana's Jeremiah Johnson after the win as the key to Indiana's fast start. "Getting stops. That's one of the best teams in the NBA, so you've got to get stops in order to beat them. We were able to do that and play in transition."

The Pacers actually started out cold on Wednesday night, hitting just one of their first nine shots as the Celtics took an early 8-2 lead. But the Blue & Gold found their stroke after the first timeout.

Out of the break, Haliburton connected with Buddy Hield, who buried a three. Tatum answered with a trey of his own on the other end, but then it was all Pacers.

Over the next three-plus minutes, Indiana reeled off 18 unanswered points -- nine by Haliburton and five by Hield.

Sam Hauser's layup with 4:12 remaining in the first quarter ended the Celtics' drought, but the Pacers remained hot.

On their next three possessions, Myles Turner hit a three, Haliburton converted a layup, and then Haliburton found Turner for a dunk. In total, the Pacers made 12 straight field goals after their slow start.

Haliburton tallied 15 points and five assists in the first quarter and Chris Duarte's three just before the buzzer gave Indiana a commanding 42-22 lead after one.

Indiana led 46-30 following Tatum's dunk with 8:27 remaining in the second quarter. The Pacers' defense then forced the Celtics into a cold spell. Boston missed its next seven shots and committed two turnovers as Indiana's second unit scored 13 unanswered points to push the margin to 29 with 4:29 still remaining in the first half.

Haliburton's three-point play with 4.2 seconds remaining in the first half pushed the lead to 71-41. Robert Williams III's dunk as the buzzer sounded shaved two points off the margin, but provided little solace to the flummoxed home crowd heading into the intermission.

But Hield told Johnson "the game's not over" during his halftime interview, and sure enough, the Celtics mounted a charge out of halftime.

Al Horford knocked down back-to-back threes on Boston's first two possessions of the second half, but the Pacers managed to hold the hosts mostly at bay for several minutes in the third quarter. Indiana led 89-68 following Duarte's 3-pointer with 3:45 remaining in the frame before the Celtics strung together a 10-0 run to climb within 11.

That's where the margin remained entering the final minute of the frame. Oshae Brissett hit a three with 39.2 seconds left to extend Indiana's lead to 94-80. Tatum answered with a three of his own mere seconds later. On the other end, after a broken play, Duarte drained his third three of the night with 8.5 seconds left in the frame.

Tatum then drew a foul and hit both foul shots with 5.4 seconds left in the quarter. Duarte took the ensuing inbound, weaved his way up the court, and banked in a contested three from deep on the left wing at the buzzer to give Indiana a 100-85 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Still, the Celtics' 42-point third quarter (15 from Tatum) was enough to give the hosts hope entering the final frame.

Boston continued to claw away at Indiana's lead, getting within single digits on Tatum's three that made it 106-99 with 6:10 remaining.

From there, Haliburton and the Pacers delivered when it mattered to thwart the Celtics' rally. With the margin still seven, Haliburton knocked down a three with 4:14 remaining. Boston climbed within five following Jaylen Brown's 3-pointer with 3:06 to play, but Haliburton again answered with a trey and then connected with Turner for a dunk the next trip down the floor.

"These guys trust me with the ball in my hands," Haliburton said. "Coaching staff trusts me with the ball in my hands. Just trying to make plays."

That proved to be enough, as the Pacers held on for the win, buoyed by Haliburton's brilliance.

"Tyrese Haliburton is our All-Star," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said. "In less than a year, he's completely changed the trajectory of our franchise, he's completely changed the vibe and direction of our franchise. Nights like tonight show the type of great young player that he is."

In his first game against the team that drafted him in 2020, Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith tallied 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Duarte added 14 points off the bench for Indiana on 4-of-5 3-point shooting, while Turner added 10 points, six boards, and three assists.

Brown recorded a double-double for Boston in the loss with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Former Pacer Malcolm Brogdon -- dealt to the Celtics over the summer in the trade that brought Nesmith to Indiana -- finished with 18 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.

The Pacers will play once more before Christmas on Friday night in Miami. They won't play again until Monday night in New Orleans before tipping off a four-game homestand on Tuesday.

Indiana's 42 points in the first quarter were four more than their previous high in the opening frame while Boston's 22 points in the quarter were just one more than the season low by a Pacers opponent.

Haliburton's 33 points were the second most he's scored in a Pacers uniform, trailing only his 35-point performance against Brooklyn on Dec. 10.

In just his second game back from a sprained ankle that had sidelined him since Nov. 14, Duarte gave the Pacers a major boost off the bench. The second-year guard's 14 points and four 3-pointers were both his second-highest totals in those respective categories this season.

Nesmith has reached double figures in three straight games and five of his last six contests. He has already played more minutes with the Pacers this season (628 over 28 games) than he did all of last season for the Celtics (574 over 52 contests).

Tatum's 41 points matched the most by a player against the Pacers this season. Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell also had 41 in a win over Indiana in Cleveland on Friday. Tatum, who entered the night sixth in the league in scoring at 30.2 points per game, topped 40 points for the fourth time this season.

"When you get rolling, when you start moving the ball, everybody's making shots, it is contagious. The basket gets wide open for everybody." -Nesmith on the Pacers' strong start

"They're not going to go away. They're not going to lay down. They've got All-Stars, they've got great basketball players, a great coach, they're a great team. They were in the Finals last year. We expect(ed) them to give us fight back. We've still got to figure out how to finish games. Being up 30 and winning by five is not acceptable." -Haliburton on the Celtics' late charge

"We were certainly aware that they were going to come out in the second half and put everything into making a furious run. They did. I was just really proud of the way we just hung tough and went through some difficult stretches but found ways to get stops, get the ball in the basket, and come out with a big win." -Carlisle

"It was great to get him a win. We were talking about it, man. It's just exciting to come here where you've been playing and come have a good game and try not to let the extracurricular stuff get (the best of you)." -Haliburton on Nesmith's performance in his return to Boston

"He's settling in nicely. He has fit in well in his opportunities to start with us. He loves the challenge of guarding guys like Brown and Tatum. He's humble enough to know that it's a process and you've just got to try to make it hard on those guys. But the way he approaches things every single day -- just super consistent, always super positive, work, work, work, you have to kick him out of the gym...He's a pleasure and he's been a great addition to our team." -Carlisle on the addition of Nesmith

"Doing what I do every night. Playing hard, taking my assignment on the defensive side very seriously and getting my energy from that side of the ball." -Nesmith on his focus on Wednesday

"Just staying confident. I said it before, when the shot clock's going down, I want that moment. Because nobody can say anything about you shooting a tough three or whatever, you've got to put it up somehow. I feel like that's a good opportunity for me to put one up. I just love that moment." -Duarte on his knack for hitting shots at the end of quarters

The Pacers' 30-point lead before halftime was Indiana's largest lead at any point this season.

The Pacers travel to Miami to take on Jimmy Butler and the Heat on Friday, Dec. 23 at 8:00 PM ET.

The Pacers will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after Christmas to host Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 7:30 PM ET. Find Tickets >>