Pacers outlast Celtics 133-131 as Boston’s defenses lapses come back to bite

justin quinn

Tue, Jan 9, 2024, 3:59 AM·3 min read

The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers were not at full strength in their second meeting of an away-and-away series held at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, with the Celtics down Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser, and the Pacers losing Tyrese Halliburton in the tilt’s first half after a slip led to a hamstring strain.

But the intensity only waned for a few moments after the Halliburton injury, with both ball clubs attacking each other on both ends with the sort of intensity we witnessed in their in-season tournament collision last month. While the ending was marred by a questionable challenge at the end of the contest, an excellent game from Jaylen Brown with a season-high 40 points and 5 boards to lead all scorers was nearly enough to get the win for Boston.

Jrue Holiday matched his season high in scoring with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and as many assists, and the Celtics saw solid outings from Kristaps Porzingis (19 points, 6 boards, 7 assists, and 3 blocks), Derrick White (13 points, 6 assists), and Al Horford (11 points, 6 rebounds) in the loss.

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