Game Rewind: Pacers 98, Celtics 101 (OT)

Coming off an offensive affair against the Utah Jazz, the Pacers found themselves in a defensive battle all night with the Boston Celtics.

Trailing 68-60 after three quarters, Indiana recorded a game-high 29-point fourth quarter to make it a fight. The Blue & Gold played solidly in crunch time. However, with Indiana leading 89-87, two-time All-Star Jayson Tatum drilled a baseline jumper with 1.8 seconds left to force overtime.

After a valiant effort in the extra frame, the Blue & Gold (15-26) fell short of the victory. Boston (20-21) won, 101-98. It is the 12th time the Pacers have lost by four points or fewer this season.

"I'm proud of the team today," Domantas Sabonis said after posting his second triple-double of the month (11 points, 23 rebounds, 10 assists)."“In the second half, we stuck with it. We fought. We defended well, and it put us in a position to win the game."

Although neither side shot above 40 percent from the floor, Indiana had six players finish in double figures. Torrey Craig had a team-high 19, including 10 in the fourth. Lance Stephenson added 14, and four players had 11.

"Torrey was great," Rick Carlisle praised. "He was aggressive. Offensively, he was getting buckets off activity and good step-in shots."

Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 26 and 15 boards. Tatum also added 24 and 12 for the Celtics (20-21).

Boston struck first in overtime with Brown’s jumper in the paint. At the 2:56 mark, Sabonis delivered a dime to Holiday to tie the score at 91.

But Boston retaliated with five straight — starting with Brown. After Brissett's layup was blocked, Grant Williams nailed a baseline trey to extend the gap to five with 2:00 left. Indiana then cut the lead to three twice — the latter happening with 47.0 seconds left.

After a stop, Stephenson rose for the game-tying three. However, the ball rattled out and fell into the hands of Brown. Boston used the free-throw line to stay in front for good.

The sides amassed just 12 total points over the first four minutes. The Blue & Gold started 2-of-10 from the floor, with a Justin Holiday triple bringing the squad to six points with 8:47 left. The Celtics hit the 10-point mark first, finding Robert Williams twice in the paint for easy buckets near the halfway point of the frame.

The Blue & Gold remained at six points for 4:43 until Craig banked in a reverse layup. Luckily, Myles Turner was a force on the defensive end during the drought, tallying two swats to prevent the Celtics from extending the lead. Jeremy Lamb's trey with 3:32 left then cut the deficit to 12-11. But Boston claimed a 23-17 lead after the low-scoring period finished.

The hosts extended their lead to 30-20 early in the second before Sabonis and Lamb got consecutive shots to fall. Yet, they still appeared to struggle to find an offensive flow.

Thankfully, the Pacers' defense held firm again. Finally, the Blue & Gold managed six unanswered points as Duane Washington Jr. picked off an errant pass and found Keifer Sykes on the other end for a wide-open layup.

Eventually, the Pacers battled their way to a 32-32 tie with 4:18 to play. However, Boston quickly jumped ahead on a three-point finish from Marcus Smart. When the Pacers tied the game at 37, Smart knocked in a trey to give the hosts another three-point advantage.

Washington managed to cut Boston’s lead to one on a transition layup with 58 seconds left. But a Williams dunk stretched the gap back to 42-39 before time expired.

After struggling in the first half, Sykes provided most of the Pacers' offense early in the third. At the 10:13 mark, he nailed his first trey, tying the score at 44. When Boston responded twice, Sykes had two answers, cutting the deficit to two with a driving finger-roll with 8:24 to play.

The bucket remained the last Pacers points for a 5:20 span as the Celtics stretched the lead to 12. The Pacers then mounted a 10-2 run — five from Craig — to shrink Boston's lead to 62-58.

However, the Celtics won the final minute, outscoring the Blue & Gold 5-2 to take a 68-60 lead into the fourth. Brown had nine in the frame to lead the hosts’ efforts.

After the Celtics started the frame with a triple, Craig notched five of an 8-0 Indiana spree to cut the deficit to 71-68 with 9:41 to play. The veteran appeared to spark the Pacers with his nonstop hustle.

Shortly after, Oshae Brissett knocked home a triple to cut the deficit to two. Sabonis followed with 1-of-2 at the line to make it a 73-72 ballgame. 8:33 remained.

The Pacers finally eclipsed the Celtics with a Sabonis flush. When Brown countered with a three, Craig came right down and matched him — drilling his third triple to earn a 79-78 lead with 5:24 to play.

Less than a minute later, the forward connected again. This time, Brissett muscled a one-handed dunk over his defender.

However, Brown remained determined. With 4:22 to play, he nailed a triple to tie the score at 81. 
 

Then, it was crunch time.

Neither side scored for a 2:26 span until Tatum banked in a tough layup with 1:54 to play. Boston led by two. On the next Pacers possession, Stephenson fired in a three.

Then, at the 1:17 mark, Stephenson fired a baseball pass to Brissett on the other end. The forward finished a flush through a foul and capped the three-point play at the line. Indiana led 87-83.

When Boston cut the lead to two, Holiday earned a trip to the free-throw line. He sank both with 45.6 seconds remaining. Williams responded with two freebies of his own.

With 15.7 seconds left, Stephenson's jumper fell short, giving Boston a final chance. The hosts dove down the court, looking for a game-tying layup. A quick hand by a Pacers defender knocked the ball out of bounds with 6.2 seconds to go. Indiana led 89-87.

After a timeout, Tatum received the inbounds pass and nailed a tough baseline jumper over Craig to tie the game. Holiday had a look from the right baseline. But, his shot bounced off the back of the iron.

Indiana finished 36-of-94 (38.3 percent) from the floor. Only three players shot 40 percent or better (Craig, Lamb, and Washington Jr.).

The Pacers' bench scored 50 of the team's 98 points.

The Pacers lost the rebounding battle, 53-48.

"He's been big time. I was telling him all game, 'We're in this game because of you.' He defended well all game against their two All-Stars." –Sabonis on Craig

"I was just playing basketball. Trying to make the right plays, the right reads, take the right shots. I know we're down a couple of guys. So, it's very important for guys to be more efficient and more precise in what we're doing." –Craig on his performance tonight

"With all the guys we have out, you can't ask for much more than what this group of guys have done. I feel like we've competed in every game. We've had a chance to win every game. That's all you can really ask for." –Craig on the positives despite falling short

Since the NBA/ABA merger, there have been seven triple-doubles with 23 or more rebounds. Sabonis has two of them — both occurring this season.

The Pacers return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse to host Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 7:00 PM ET. Find Tickets »