Game ID: 22300670
Indiana Pacers @ Boston Celtics
Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 36 45 25 23 129IND 26 40 37 21 124
BOS vs IND ScoutingBOS vs IND Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BOS availability going into 1/22 · back-to-backBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 8 min since (69% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/25 · 2 days' restBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 8 min since (69% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/27 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/17 after 2, 7 min since (59% of 11)
NEW Kornet 15 to 20 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's rest
full strength
BOS availability going into 1/30 · back-to-backOUT Porziņģis missed 2 since 1/27, returns tonight: 31 min (108% of 29)
BOS availability going into 2/01 · 1 day's restOUT Kornet missed 2 since 1/29, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 1/30 after 2, 31 min since (108% of 29)
BOS availability going into 2/04 · 2 days' restOUT Kornet missed 3 since 1/29, returns tonight: 15 min (101% of 15)
BACK Porziņģis back 1/30 after 2, 30 min since (105% of 29)
BOS availability going into 2/07 · 2 days' restBACK Porziņģis back 1/30 after 2, 30 min since (102% of 29)
BACK Kornet back 2/04 after 3, 15 min since (101% of 15)
BOS availability going into 2/09 · 1 day's restBACK Porziņģis back 1/30 after 2, 30 min since (103% of 29)
BACK Kornet back 2/04 after 3, 18 min since (122% of 15)
IND availability going into 1/23 · 1 day's restOUT Jackson missed 2 since 1/19, returns tonight: 10 min (75% of 13)
BACK Haliburton back 1/19 after 5, 35 min since (107% of 33)
BACK Nesmith back 1/19 after 3, 27 min since (94% of 29)
BACK Nembhard back 1/21 after 2, 25 min since (96% of 26)
NEW Hield 26 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Sheppard 16 to 21 min over the last 4
IND availability going into 1/25 · 1 day's restOUT Haliburton missed 2 since 1/21, out tonight
BACK Nesmith back 1/19 after 3, 29 min since (102% of 29)
BACK Nembhard back 1/21 after 2, 26 min since (99% of 26)
BACK Jackson back 1/23 after 2, 10 min since (75% of 13)
IND availability going into 1/26 · back-to-backOUT Haliburton missed 3 since 1/21, out tonight
BACK Nesmith back 1/19 after 3, 29 min since (101% of 29)
BACK Nembhard back 1/21 after 2, 27 min since (102% of 26)
BACK Jackson back 1/23 after 2, 7 min since (59% of 13)
IND availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Haliburton missed 4 since 1/21, out tonight
BACK Nesmith back 1/19 after 3, 30 min since (105% of 29)
BACK Nembhard back 1/21 after 2, 28 min since (105% of 26)
BACK Jackson back 1/23 after 2, 7 min since (59% of 13)
IND availability going into 1/30 · 1 day's restOUT Haliburton missed 5 since 1/21, returns tonight: 22 min (68% of 33)
BACK Nembhard back 1/21 after 2, 30 min since (112% of 26)
BACK Jackson back 1/23 after 2, 10 min since (76% of 13)
IND availability going into 2/01 · 1 day's restOUT McConnell missed 2 since 1/28, out tonight
BACK Haliburton back 1/30 after 5, 22 min since (68% of 33)
BACK Jackson back 1/23 after 2, 10 min since (76% of 13)
NEW Nesmith 29 to 35 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 2/02 · back-to-backOUT Mathurin missed 2 since 1/30, returns tonight: 37 min (142% of 26)
OUT McConnell missed 3 since 1/28, returns tonight: 23 min (123% of 19)
OUT Jackson missed 2 since 1/30, returns tonight: 27 min (214% of 13)
BACK Haliburton back 1/30 after 5, 22 min since (67% of 33)
NEW Nesmith 29 to 36 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restBACK Haliburton back 1/30 after 5, 22 min since (67% of 33)
BACK Mathurin back 2/02 after 2, 37 min since (142% of 26)
BACK McConnell back 2/02 after 3, 23 min since (123% of 19)
BACK Jackson back 2/02 after 2, 27 min since (214% of 13)
NEW Nesmith 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Smith 16 to 24 min over the last 4
IND availability going into 2/06 · 1 day's restBACK Haliburton back 1/30 after 5, 21 min since (66% of 33)
BACK Mathurin back 2/02 after 2, 32 min since (122% of 26)
BACK McConnell back 2/02 after 3, 22 min since (119% of 19)
BACK Jackson back 2/02 after 2, 14 min since (114% of 13)
NEW Nesmith 29 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Smith 16 to 24 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Brown at 19 a game. Without Porziņģis (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 119, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Siakam at 21 and Nembhard at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Haliburton (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 111 a night to Indiana's 119. Call it Boston 121, Indiana 116.
1/22 @ DAL 119-110 — BOS notes
BOS won 119-110. BOS shot 47% (41 of 88) to DAL's 44%, 15 of 46 from three, and went to the line 30 times to DAL's 14 — 22 points from the stripe to their 10. Tatum led with 39 (11 of 21, 2 of 8 from three, 15 of 19 at the line); Brown added 34, Holiday 17. The hinge was Q2, 41-33: BOS came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 6, and the lead reached 16. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
1/25 @ MIA 143-110 — BOS notes
BOS won 143-110. BOS shot 64% (51 of 80) to MIA's 45%, 22 of 40 from three, and went to the line 20 times to MIA's 13 — 19 points from the stripe to their 10. BOS turned it over 11 times to MIA's 4. The glass went 47-31 for them. Tatum led with 26 (7 of 15, 3 of 7 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Porziņģis added 19, Brown 18. The hinge was Q1, 42-29: from level to 13 ahead, and the lead reached 34. Porziņģis was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
1/27 vs LAC 96-115 — BOS notes
BOS lost 96-115. BOS shot 36% (36 of 100) to LAC's 44%, 10 of 40 from three. Tatum led with 21 (8 of 18, 2 of 4 from three); Pritchard added 12, Kornet 11. Q4 was theirs, 36-24, the deficit cut from 31 to 19, but the other 3 periods went 91-60 against them. Tatum's -32 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/29 vs NOP 118-112 — BOS notes
BOS won 118-112. BOS shot 51% (43 of 85) to NOP's 51%, 17 of 46 from three, and went to the line 20 times to NOP's 13 — 15 points from the stripe to their 10. Tatum led with 28 (10 of 18, 2 of 8 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Brown added 22, Holiday 20. The hinge was Q4, 37-25: BOS came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 6. BOS trailed 50-60 at the half and won the second half 68-52. Horford was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/30 vs IND 129-124 — BOS notes
BOS won 129-124. BOS shot 54% (47 of 87) to IND's 46%, 17 of 36 from three, and went to the line 22 times to IND's 15 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. The glass went 40-50 against them. Tatum led with 30 (12 of 19, 4 of 9 from three); Brown added 25, White 24. The hinge was Q1, 36-26: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 20. Queta was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
2/01 vs LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Tatum at 29 and Brown at 21 a game. One day's rest. The Lakers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 135, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; James at 26 and Davis at 25 a game. They have lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Reddish (4 straight), Vincent (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 114 a night to the Lakers' 135 and the turnovers, the Lakers giving it away 14 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 125, the Lakers 116.
2/04 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Porziņģis at 18 a game. 2 days' rest. Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 111, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 26 and Williams Jr. at 16 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Bane (11 straight), LaRavia (10 straight), Williams (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-0 a night and Memphis minus-5 and the arc, Boston at 39 percent from three to Memphis's 34. Call it Boston 117, Memphis 107, Boston by 10.
2/07 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Tatum at 27 and Porziņģis at 20 a game. 2 days' rest. Atlanta comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 136 a night and allowing 130, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Young at 30 and Murray at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Krejčí (22 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 111 a night to Atlanta's 130 and the line, where Atlanta takes 25 free throws a game to Boston's 17. Call it Boston 124, Atlanta 118.
2/09 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 16 free throws a game; Tatum at 27 and Porziņģis at 23 a game. One day's rest. Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 120, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 17 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Kispert at 18 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Bagley III (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 37 percent from three to Washington's 31 and the defense, Boston allowing 112 a night to Washington's 120. Call it Boston 123, Washington 110, Boston by 13.
1/23 vs DEN 109-114 — IND notes
IND lost 109-114. IND shot 49% (43 of 87) to DEN's 50%, 5 of 21 from three. Turner led with 22 (8 of 18, 0 of 5 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); McConnell added 17, Siakam 16. Q2 was theirs, 33-26, but the other 3 periods went 88-76 against them. They led by as many as 13. Nembhard's -15 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/25 vs PHI 134-122 — IND notes
IND won 134-122. IND shot 57% (53 of 93) to PHI's 48%, 12 of 28 from three, and got to the line 21 times to PHI's 43. IND turned it over 21 times to PHI's 12, and PHI turned those into 13 steals. The glass went 55-31 for them. Siakam led with 26 (9 of 13, 7 of 10 at the line); Turner added 20, Nembhard 19. The hinge was Q1, 34-25: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 27. Siakam was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
1/26 vs PHX 133-131 — IND notes
IND won 133-131. IND shot 53% (58 of 109) to PHX's 57%, 8 of 26 from three. IND turned it over 12 times to PHX's 20. The glass went 48-38 for them. Siakam led with 31 (14 of 22, 2 of 3 from three); Toppin added 23, Nesmith 22. The hinge was Q4, 28-17: IND came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 2. IND trailed 70-80 at the half and won the second half 63-51.
1/28 vs MEM 116-110 — IND notes
IND won 116-110. IND shot 49% (44 of 90) to MEM's 46%, 13 of 35 from three, and got to the line 16 times to MEM's 31. Mathurin led with 24 (9 of 14, 3 of 5 from three); Siakam added 19, Smith 19. The hinge was Q3, 41-29: IND came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 10. IND trailed 51-53 at the half and won the second half 65-57. Mathurin was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
1/30 @ BOS 124-129 — IND notes
IND lost 124-129. IND took 21 more shots (108 to 87), fed by 19 offensive rebounds, but shot 46% to BOS's 54%, 12 of 39 from three, and got to the line 15 times to BOS's 22. The glass went 50-40 for them. Nesmith led with 26 (11 of 17, 4 of 7 from three); Siakam added 23, Turner 17. Q3 was theirs, 37-25, the deficit cut from 15 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 104-87 against them. Smith's -17 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/01 @ NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
New York comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 98, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and Randle at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Randle (2 straight), Anunoby (2 straight), Robinson (27 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 121, shooting 51 percent and 34 from three, 18 free throws a game; Siakam at 23 and Nesmith at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without McConnell (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: New York wins, and the game turns on the defense, New York allowing 98 a night to Indiana's 121 and the arc, New York at 39 percent from three to Indiana's 34. Call it New York 120, Indiana 113.
2/02 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 16 free throws a game; Siakam at 23 and Nesmith at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Mathurin (2 straight), McConnell (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 113, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Barnes at 22 and Fox at 22 a game. Without Ellis (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the defense, Sacramento allowing 113 a night to Indiana's 120 and the glass, where Indiana has been plus-5 a night and Sacramento plus-1. Call it Indiana 120, Sacramento 119, Sacramento keeping it close.
2/04 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 126, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Bridges at 20 and Washington at 20 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 122, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Siakam at 23 and Mathurin at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been plus-1 a night and Charlotte minus-10. Call it Indiana 122, Charlotte 116.
2/06 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mathurin at 23 and Siakam at 21 a game. One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 21 and Sengun at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Indiana 117, Houston 115, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSDW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
NQ N. Queta
OB O. Brissett
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
INDAN A. Nembhard
AN A. Nesmith
BH B. Hield
BS B. Sheppard
JS J. Smith
MT M. Turner
OT O. Toppin
PS P. Siakam
TH T. Haliburton
BOS/IND the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Jayson Tatum scores 30, comes up with late blocks as Celtics hold off Pacers 129-124
BOSTON -- — The Celtics have won plenty of games this season by overpowering teams with their offense.
They reminded the Pacers they are just as elite on the defensive end.
Jayson Tatum scored 30 points and had two blocks in the final 30 seconds to help Boston hold off Indiana 129-124 on Tuesday night.
“You have to be able to win games with your defense," coach Joe Mazzulla said.
He said wins like this will teach his team not to lean too heavy on its offense.
“It's a tough balance for us because we always talk about how the game's connected. You can't have one without the other," Mazzulla said. “But there's moments when they both have to be elite. We had really good defense down the stretch and made some winning plays.”
Jaylen Brown added 25 points and Derrick White finished with 24 as Boston claimed the season series with Indiana, 3-2. The Pacers eliminated the Celtics in the quarterfinal round of the In-Season Tournament in December.
Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Pascal Siakam finished with 23 points and Myles Turner added 17. All-Star Tyrese Haliburton had 13 points on 5-of-16 shooting and 10 rebounds after sitting out the previous five games with a strained left hamstring.
The Celtics led by 20 points late in the first half, but Indiana rallied and trailed 127-124 when White blocked a tying 3-point attempt by Nesmith. Tatum then denied an attempt by Turner at the rim with 29.3 seconds left, leading to a shot-clock violation.
Jrue Holiday extended Boston's lead with two free throws. Nesmith pushed the ball up the floor and Tatum was called for a foul with 11.2 seconds on the clock as he appeared to cleanly block the shot. Boston challenged the call, and the foul was overturned after review.
Holiday said the Celtics got a reminder that they'll have to find different ways to close out opponents.
“We've got to be able to fight through everything,” he said. “Fight through expectations. Fight through being up 20 and somebody having a great third quarter and finishing games. If it was easy the whole time, what's the fun in that?”
After stumbling at the start of the teams' two previous outings, the Celtics came out energized.
Kristaps Porzingis returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sprained left ankle. His presence inside kept Indiana honest defensively and helped Boston’s shooters spread the Pacers out. It produced open looks for the Celtics, who knocked down 17 3s on the night. Porzingis finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Holiday also had 17 points. It was the third time this season the starting five of Tatum, Brown, White, Holiday and Porzingis all scored 17 or more.
The Pacers went on a 25-10 run in the third quarter to regain the lead at 94-93. Boston responded over the final 4:11 of the period, ending it with Neemias Queta 's dunk off a pass from Tatum to give the Celtics a 106-103 edge entering the fourth.
The Celtics surged to begin the final period, using a 16-9 run to build a 122-112 cushion with just over five minutes to play.