The Boston Celtics were eliminated from the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament with their 122-112 loss to the Indiana Pacers in the quarterfinal round. Boston will now host the loser of the Knicks-Bucks quarterfinal matchup at TD Garden on Friday night.
It was a back-and-forth battle for the majority of the game Tuesday night, featuring 16 lead changes and 15 ties. With less than two minutes left in the fourth quarter, the score was tied at 105-105 before Indiana erupted for 17 points in the final 1:57, including a 9-0 run in under a minute, jumpstarted by a nasty four-point play by Tyrese Haliburton, who finished the night with his first career triple-double, registering 26 points, a game-high 13 assists, and 10 rebounds.
Despite a tough start shooting, Jayson Tatum finished with a game-high 32 points, 12 rebounds (also a game-high), and six assists. Ten of Tatum’s 12 rebounds came in the first half, as he tied his career-high for most rebounds in any half.
Jaylen Brown poured in 32 points of his own, had nine rebounds, and recorded two blocks.
Entering Monday night, the Celtics were 24-1 when Tatum and Brown each scored at least 30 points.
Here are three takeaways as the Celtics have their three-game win streak snapped at the hands of the Pacers.
Taking care of the basketball
Losing the turnover battle in any sport is typically not a good thing, and that’s an area the Celtics got destroyed in on Monday night.
Boston turned the ball over a whopping 17 times on the night, resulting in 17 points for Indiana. On the flip side, the Celtics only forced 6 (!) turnovers, finishing a -11 in turnover differential.
Monday night marked the eighth time this season the Celtics registered at least 15 turnovers and their third consecutive game with 16 or more.
The Celtics' 18 turnovers played into the hands of Indiana's offense, enabling them to find comfort in an area they excel - In transition - Proving costly for Boston.
Couldn’t overcome poor three-point shooting
If not for Sam Hauser, the Celtics three-point shooting would have looked much uglier.
The Celtics shot just 12-of-41 (29.3%) from deep, with five of those makes coming from Hauser, who shot 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Boston’s starting five shot a combined 7-of-30 (23.3%) from deep.
Dating back to last season, the Celtics are 8-15 (including playoffs) when they shot under 30% from three-point range.
Conversely, the Pacers shot 19-of-40 (47.5%) from three.
Losing the three-point battle has often resulted in losing games for the Celtics, as has been the case in three of Boston’s five losses this season.
The Celtics finished the night with more turnovers (17) than made threes (12) - A result that will almost always result in a loss for the Green.
Third quarters a continued issue
Make no mistake about it - This game was lost in the third quarter by the Celtics.
The Celtics held the Pacers’ top-rated offense to just 48 first-half points, marking just the third time this season Indiana failed to reach 50 points in a half. The stifling first-half defense helped Boston build a seven-point halftime lead.
Then, the third quarter happened. The Celtics were outscored 37-23 in the third quarter and found themselves trailing by seven entering the fourth quarter, the latest meltdown in this inexcusable trend.
The Celtics are 29th in offensive rating (101.6), 30th in shooting percentage (42.3%), 26th in three-point percentage (31.0%), and 22nd in net rating, posting a -2.4 in the third quarter this season.
In their five losses this season, the Celtics are being outscored 140-99 in the third quarter while shooting 31.5% from the field and 22.8% from deep.
It’s been a chronic issue for years and has hindered Boston’s success in the playoffs.
If the Celtics want to achieve their ultimate goal, this issue needs to be addressed.
On a positive note
With the loss, the Celtics will not be flying to Vegas for the In-Season Tournament semifinals, much to the displeasure of Tatum.
Instead, the Celtics will return to Boston for their next five games, where they've been phenomenal this season, posting a perfect 9-0 record at TD Garden.
Monday night’s loss to the Pacers will also be Boston’s only road game between November 25 and December 18.
On top of that, the Celtics’ game on Friday night will be their only game in the next seven days, an unusual occurrence during the NBA season.
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