There aren’t many people giving the Indiana Pacers much of a chance to hang with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Oddsmakers have installed the Celtics as heavy favorites, expecting them to advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
But, the Pacers were ready to give the Celtics everything they could handle. In Game 1, they nearly pulled off a massive upset to steal homecourt advantage away, but their late-game execution was not there.
The Indiana Pacers showed some resiliency near the end of the third quarter, facing a 13-point deficit with 3:23 remaining. With the game hanging in the balance, they finished the quarter strong, trailing by only one heading into the fourth quarter.
They controlled the fourth quarter, taking a three-point lead with 46.1 seconds remaining after an Andrew Nembhard jumper. On the ensuing possession, Jayson Tatum missed a game-tying 3-pointer. But, after Nembhard secured the rebound, Tyrese Haliburton committed a brutal turnover.
Derrick White would miss a layup, and Tatum would miss another jump shot to keep the score as a three-point difference. The Indiana Pacers would commit another costly turnover, and this time the Celtics would capitalize.
Jaylen Brown hit a tough corner 3-pointer over Pascal Siakam, tying the game at 117. A buzzer-beating attempt by Haliburton was no good, as the game went to overtime and the Boston Celtics seized control.
After the Indiana Pacers scored the first basket of overtime, a 3-pointer from Haliburton, they were outscored 16-8 by the Boston Celtics the rest of the way. It resulted in a 133-128 loss, one that they will be thinking about for a long time.
“We gave it away,” Pacers forward Aaron Nesmith said. “We should’ve won the game.”
Indiana turned the ball over 22 times, resulting in 32 points for the Celtics. Now down 1-0 in the series, the Pacers will look to bounce back in Game 2. That is set to be played in Boston on Thursday night.
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