An elite display of shooting propelled the Indiana Pacers to a 117-112 win over the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Wednesday night. After leading by nearly thirty for a majority of the second and third quarters, the Celtics brought it back within single digits with under 5 min to go in the game, but Tyrese Haliburton continued his hot shooting to put the game away and improve the Pacers record back to .500 on the season at 16-16.
Winners
Tyrese Haliburton-
What a sensational night for the Pacers star! Haliburton finished with 33 points, 8 assists, and a hot 6/13 shooting from 3. Tyrese made his impact felt in this game, starting off with a bang with a 15 point, 5 assist first quarter to spark a huge Pacers lead that ballooned to 27 at halftime. A big win over the defending Eastern Conference champions is certainly Haliburton’s all-star case.
Aaron Nesmith-
Quickly becoming one of our favorite players on the team, Nesmith finished second in scoring behind Haliburton with 15 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. No loose ball is safe while Nesmith is on the court, as his defensive effort and hustle is something to behold every night, and now his offense is coming together at the right time as well. The Pacers may have gotten the high-upside lottery pick they thought they traded for afterall.
Chris Duarte-
Have a day Chris Duarte! In just his second game back from injury, Duarte brought the heat off the bench, scoring 14 points on a blistering 4-5 shooting from 3 point land. If Duarte can bring the scoring punch he showed before injury on a consistent basis, this Pacers team just got a whole lot scarier
Losers
Bennedict Mathurin-
Not the best game for the rookie. Mathurin finished with just 7 points on 3-9 shooting and 4 rebounds with no assists. Mathurin just had a tough time finding a rhythm offensively whether it was missed shots at the rim, or off the mark from 3. Mathurin will look to bounce back Friday against the Heat
Team’s ability to keep a big lead-
The Pacers ended up winning the game, but they need to work on not letting teams creep back into the game. This game should have been over when the Pacers were up 27 at halftime, but Indiana got out scored 46-69 in the second half of the game, and allowed the Celtics to come within 6 late in the fourth quarter. Thankfully the Pacers were saved by the sweet shooting of Haliburton this time, but as a team they need to work on closing out games better.
The Indiana Pacers will travel to Miami to take on the Heat on Friday as the second part of their three game road trip. What are your thought on the Pacers win over the Celtics? Leave a comment below!