Boston may possess more talent, depth and experience – yet should not be taken lightly by opponents like Indiana.
Tyrese Haliburton left Game 2 with a hamstring injury, which may hinder him going forward in the series. He’s listed as questionable for Game 3.
The Celtics plan on making life difficult for Indiana point guard Haliburton and his teammates by double teaming him whenever possible and trying to wear him down.
In this article, we will discuss the main points or top players lists of Indiana Pacers Vs Boston Celtics.
In that game, the Pacers’ starting lineup was:
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| PG | Andrew Nembhard |
| SG | Bennedict Mathurin |
| SF | Jarace Walker |
| PF | Pascal Siakam |
| C | Myles Turner |
Boston has the edge in talent
The Pacers have struggled recently and this game against Boston will be an immense test. The Celtics are one of the top teams in the league, so to compete against them effectively they must play their best basketball and stay within striking distance of them. Tyrese Haliburton will likely play an instrumental role as one of their key players this season; shooting well and acting as an effective playmaker.
In the second half, they were able to strengthen their defense and turn around the game with strong defensive play and outscoring Boston Celtics in the paint – led by Enes Kanter who scored 44 points on 14 of 16 shooting.
In the opening quarter, the Pacers quickly established a double-digit lead due to strong defense and impressive 3-point shooting. They shot 13 of 21 from the floor – 3 of 11 3-point attempts from distance – and 8/10 free throw attempts during that period while their counterparts in Boston shot 8/23 from field and 2/7 3-point attempts respectively.
After an uneven start, the Pacers established a 16-5 lead at the end of the first quarter on jumpers from Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard. But the Celtics responded with their own 12-5 run that saw Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard make three-point shots; Al Horford then drove directly to the basket to give them back the advantage.
Obi Toppin could provide an immense boost for the Pacers when he returns from injury; his return would certainly prove pivotal against an experienced Celtics team; Bennedict Mathurin may continue starting as his replacement, however.
In their previous meeting in October, the Pacers defeated the Celtics 135-132, but this will be much tougher test as Boston is the top team in the East and has been playing great basketball of late. Luckily for Indiana though, they possess plenty of young talent that could help drive a push toward playoffs.
Indiana has the edge in depth
The Pacers stand out among their Eastern Conference finals opponents by not being dependent on one player to carry them, which contributed to them ranking No. 1 in scoring (123.3 points per game) and No. 2 in assists (30.8 per game). They continue this pattern during postseason play: leading field goal percentage (50.7) and 3-point percentage (38.1), boasting seven players averaging at least 10 points per game; in contrast, Celtics boast six such scorers who average 10+ per game on an average basis.
Both teams started the second quarter strong, but Indiana took advantage of Boston’s turnovers to go on an 12-0 run and take an 11-0 advantage into halftime. Boston answered back with their own run that culminated in Jaylen Brown scoring on a layup to cut their deficit down to five.
The remainder of the second quarter was tight-fought with each team having opportunities to score, with Indiana still maintaining an 11-point advantage at halftime. Unfortunately, four minutes wasn’t enough time to close this large deficit; but it served as a testament to what can happen when Indiana is at their best.
Indiana was able to flex their muscle early in the third quarter, taking control of their own destiny with several runs that gave them an advantageous lead. Pascal Siakam’s dunk put Indiana ahead by 11 points; three-point play by Turner increased it further.
However, the Celtics responded quickly with a few quick baskets of their own, such as Al Horford’s three-pointer and Jaylen Brown’s dunk which cut Indiana’s lead down to five with just under eight minutes remaining in the period. But Indiana was able to hold off Boston and take an eight-point advantage going into the fourth.
Indiana has the edge in experience
Boston is an 11.5-point favorite against Indiana and has won seven of their last 10 meetings, so they should prevail early. Expectedly close early, the Celtics should gain an advantage due to experience and offensive firepower. Boston must also play smart defense and minimize turnovers to be effective while beating Indiana at rebounding the boards.
These teams met five times this season – four regular season contests and a quarterfinal contest in the In-Season Tournament quarterfinal round. In their initial meeting at TD Garden, Boston easily defeated Indiana with Tatum and Brown leading their side to victory; unfortunately for Indiana without Tyrese Haliburton they simply could not keep pace.
Even in defeat, the Pacers showed signs of hope in their second meeting with Boston. They managed to hold tough against them and even took the lead during a pivotal fourth quarter before losing due to an unusual overturn of a call. While this bodes well for their overall play and execution skills, more work needs to be done.
Both teams have been strong defensively throughout the playoffs, with the Celtics especially adept at keeping opponents off of offensive glass surfaces. They led the league in defensive rebounds for most of this postseason while the Pacers struggled with offense. If Boston can improve their scoring abilities further they may prove hard to defeat in this series.
Obi Toppin of the Pacers has suffered an ankle sprain during Thursday’s loss against Oklahoma City and will not return for the remainder of these playoffs, while rookie center Domantas Sabonis may step in as his replacement.
Indiana has the edge in shooting
The Pacers may have lost to Boston earlier in the week, but that won’t be their last battle against them – tonight at TD Garden they’ll get another opportunity to gain even ground and even things out against Boston once more.
The Pacers started the season off strong, but hit a rough patch as their shooting slumped and injuries sidelined key players. Recently though, they’ve turned a corner and are starting to look like the team we saw during last year’s playoff run.
On Thursday night, their win against the Suns marked a critical step forward for their franchise. For once in recent memory, they managed to play solid defense; forcing Phoenix into 16 turnovers while only committing nine themselves; an essential characteristic of championship contenders.
However, that doesn’t mean the Pacers don’t still need work; they must still improve their three-point shooting and learn how to close games effectively. But they are moving in the right direction, and should keep doing so this game.
First half was an exciting back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading baskets until Tyrese Haliburton scored and Payton Pritchard made a three-pointer to give Indiana a slight edge at halftime. Both sides are having difficulties shooting efficiently however and this lack of accuracy could become problematic later.