INDIANA 103, BOSTON 96
Pacers Survive Boston's Late Charge
By Conrad Brunner | Jan. 30, 2007
A 20-point fourth-quarter lead nearly disappeared in an avalanche of turnovers and missed free throws, but the end result made the finish a little easier to digest, if something less than savory.
With Jamaal Tinsley finishing off a season-high 28-point game with five free throws and a steal in the final minute, the Pacers held off a late Boston charge for a 103-96 victory over the slumping Celtics Tuesday at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Coach Rick Carlisle summed up the unnecessarily angst-ridden finish nicely.
"Wins are too hard to come by," he said, "to complain about them."
Indiana led 76-56 entering the period and 90-72 with 3:54 remaining but slipped into cruise control a bit too early. The Pacers missed seven free throws and committed four turnovers as the Celtics put together a 24-10 run to cut the gap to 100-96 on Gerald Green's 3-pointer with 26.2 seconds left. Tinsley sandwiched a Sebastian Telfair miss with three of four free throws, then locked it up with a steal on Boston's final possession.
The Pacers (24-21) won their fourth in five games overall and fourth straight at home, where they improved to 14-7. Boston (12-32) dropped its 12th in a row, the franchise's longest losing streak since a 13-game in the 1996-97 season, and dropped to 8-15 on the road.
PLUSES
The Pacers dominated the second and third periods defensively, outscoring the Celtics 52-26 points and 11-of-38 shooting (.289) while outrebounding the visitors 23-12. Tinsley had his best game in weeks, adding seven assists, six rebounds and three steals to his 28 points. He was 9-of-14 from the field and 10-of-11 from the line. Jermaine O'Neal scored 25 on 9-of-17 shooting, adding eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Danny Granger scored 13 with five rebounds but battled foul trouble, and Troy Murphy fell one point short of a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Pacers shot .536 overall.
MINUSES
The Celtics dominated the first and fourth periods offensively, outscoring the Pacers 70-51, shooting 26-of-42 (.619) and holding a 28-17 advantage on the boards. Al Jefferson was a force inside with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Green scored 12 of his 14 in the final four minutes. Ryan Gomes scored 13 with four rebounds and Telfair led a spirited bench effort with 11. Boston got 46 points and 14 rebounds from its reserves.
The Pacers shot poorly from the line throughout, going 29-of-46 (.630), and missed all seven of their 3-point attempts. They also committed 18 turnovers that fueled 21 Boston points.
MOMENTS
The shorthanded Celtics seized the early momentum and held a 34-26 lead early in the second quarter before the Pacers found their rhythm and put together a 24-6 run, with Granger and O'Neal scoring seven apiece, to take a 50-40 lead. The Celtics chipped away and were down 61-54 in the third when Tinsley took matters into his hands, scoring twice in a row to spark a 15-2 run that pushed the Pacers to a 76-56 lead heading into the fourth. The Pacers led 90-72 after a pair of Tinsley free throws with 3:54 remaining but that's when things quickly became a little too dramatic as Boston went with a small, pressing lineup that threw the game into a frenzied pace that worked much to the home team's detriment. The Pacers, however, managed to at least keep a two-possession gap and ultimately survived the flurry.
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