The Indiana Pacers just picked up what may be their biggest win of the season, taking down the Boston Celtics in the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament and punching their ticket to Las Vegas.
It was an absolutely electric game, with a ton of lead changes taking place throughout. By the end of the fourth quarter, however, Indiana managed to pull ahead.
The Celtics struggled to hit their threes and committed 17 turnovers on the night. Meanwhile, the Pacers were rock solid in almost all aspects of the game.
And perhaps most impressively, the Pacers held Boston to just 112 points - their second-lowest total allowed this year. Let’s check out two studs and one dud from the contest.
Stud - Aaron Nesmith
Going up against his former team, Aaron Nesmith stepped up to the plate. The Pacers wing was absolutely electrifying in this game, getting it done on both ends of the court.
Nesmith took on the challenge of guarding Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for stretches, and his physicality kept them from getting everything they wanted.
He finished the game with 14 points, one rebound, one assist, and one block while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc.
While his counting stats may not look all that impressive, the hustle and grit he played with throughout the game helped lead the way for the Pacers. He was a real X-Factor for Indiana.
Having a guy like Nesmith on the bench is such a huge help for the Pacers, especially on the defensive end, and he proved that on Monday night.
Grade: B+
Dud - None?
Is this cheating? Maybe this is cheating? But I make the rules, so let’s rock with it.
As noted, this might have been the most impressive win of the Indiana Pacers’ season so far. Not only was it a huge win for In-Season Tournament purposes, but it was against one of the best teams in the league.
The Celtics missed a bunch of fairly open threes, but overall, it was a solid outing for the Pacers, especially considering the number of times Boston turned it over (18).
As far as poor performers, Andrew Nembhard may have been the closest thing, but he played fewer than five minutes. Myles Turner was relatively quiet, and the same can be said for Obi Toppin, but neither was necessarily bad.
Tyrese Haliburton’s defense on Jayson Tatum was questionable, as the Celtics kept attacking that matchup, but he more than made up for that on the other end of the floor.
There wasn’t much to complain about in this game. Indiana’s defense wasn’t ideal, but it didn’t end up costing them, and the Celtics only put up 112 on the night.
After such a huge win, it feels wrong to pick a dud, so we’ll just say the dud was the Celtics (and the Pacers' defense at times, I suppose).
Grade: C(lamps?)
Stud - Tyrese Haliburton
Duh.
This guy might be one of the most electric players in the league. Tyrese Haliburton and his Indiana Pacers finally got the chance to show out on a national stage, and he delivered in a big way.
Every time there was a big shot, Haliburton was there. Every time there was a lull in the Pacers’ scoring, Haliburton was there. Every time the Celtics made a run, Haliburton was there.
Haliburton truly may be the best point guard in the NBA right now, and with him in the lineup, the Pacers are a completely different team than when he’s off the floor.
The All-Star point guard ended the game with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists while shooting 10-of-18 from the field and 5-of-11 from behind the three-point line, marking his first career triple-double.
Haliburton’s night was highlighted by an absurd four-point play in which he drained a massive three over Jaylen Brown, who fouled him, sending him to the free-throw line.
Add in his long-range threes throughout the game, and it just felt like there was nothing the Celtics could do to slow him down, no matter how hard they tried.
The Pacers are now heading to Las Vegas to take on the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks game, and Haliburton will be right there to lead them.
Grade: A