Game ID: 22300493
Boston Celtics @ Indiana Pacers
Saturday, January 6, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
IND 17 32 32 20 101BOS 29 29 26 34 118
BOS @ IND ScoutingBOS @ 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.
IND availability going into 12/30 · 1 day's restOUT Bru. Brown missed 3 since 12/23, out tonight
OUT McConnell missed 2 since 12/26, returns tonight: 12 min (66% of 19)
OUT Sheppard missed 6 since 12/18, returns tonight: 1 min (7% of 16)
OUT Nwora missed 4 since 12/21, returns tonight: 1 min (11% of 10)
BACK Nembhard back 12/21 after 6, 28 min since (104% of 26)
BACK Smith back 12/20 after 9, 18 min since (110% of 16)
NEW Hield 26 to 33 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 1/01 · 1 day's restOUT Bru. Brown missed 4 since 12/23, out tonight
BACK Nembhard back 12/21 after 6, 29 min since (108% of 26)
BACK McConnell back 12/30 after 2, 12 min since (66% of 19)
BACK Sheppard back 12/30 after 6, 1 min since (7% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/30 after 4, 1 min since (11% of 10)
NEW Hield 26 to 31 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Bru. Brown missed 5 since 12/23, returns tonight: 28 min (96% of 30)
BACK McConnell back 12/30 after 2, 17 min since (91% of 19)
BACK Sheppard back 12/30 after 6, 1 min since (7% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/30 after 4, 1 min since (11% of 10)
IND availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restBACK Bru. Brown back 1/03 after 5, 28 min since (96% of 30)
BACK McConnell back 12/30 after 2, 18 min since (94% of 19)
BACK Sheppard back 12/30 after 6, 2 min since (10% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/30 after 4, 1 min since (12% of 10)
IND availability going into 1/06 · back-to-backOUT Nembhard missed 2 since 1/03, out tonight
BACK Bru. Brown back 1/03 after 5, 25 min since (85% of 30)
BACK McConnell back 12/30 after 2, 19 min since (101% of 19)
BACK Sheppard back 12/30 after 6, 4 min since (26% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/30 after 4, 4 min since (40% of 10)
IND availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Nembhard missed 3 since 1/03, returns tonight: 12 min (47% of 26)
BACK Bru. Brown back 1/03 after 5, 25 min since (85% of 30)
BACK McConnell back 12/30 after 2, 18 min since (94% of 19)
BACK Sheppard back 12/30 after 6, 4 min since (24% of 16)
BACK Nwora back 12/30 after 4, 3 min since (33% of 10)
IND availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restBACK Bru. Brown back 1/03 after 5, 24 min since (80% of 30)
BACK Nembhard back 1/08 after 3, 12 min since (47% of 26)
NEW Smith 16 to 21 min over the last 5
IND availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Sheppard missed 2 since 1/08, returns tonight: 4 min (24% of 16)
BACK Bru. Brown back 1/03 after 5, 25 min since (83% of 30)
BACK Nembhard back 1/08 after 3, 19 min since (73% of 26)
NEW Smith 16 to 24 min over the last 4
IND availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Haliburton missed 2 since 1/10, out tonight
BACK Nembhard back 1/08 after 3, 20 min since (77% of 26)
BACK Sheppard back 1/12 after 2, 4 min since (24% of 16)
NEW Smith 16 to 24 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 12/29 · back-to-backOUT Kornet missed 8 since 12/14, returns tonight: 33 min (227% of 15)
NEW Queta 11 to 18 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 33 min since (227% of 15)
NEW Queta 11 to 17 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 25 min since (169% of 15)
BOS availability going into 1/05 · 2 days' restBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 22 min since (146% of 15)
BOS availability going into 1/06 · back-to-backBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 19 min since (129% of 15)
BOS availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restBACK Kornet back 12/29 after 8, 18 min since (125% of 15)
NEW Brissett 10 to 18 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
NEW Brissett 10 to 19 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Queta missed 3 since 1/06, returns tonight: 13 min (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
NEW Horford 28 to 33 min over the last 3
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 135 a night and allowing 118, shooting 55 percent and 41 from three, 26 free throws a game; Haliburton at 22 and Turner at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Nembhard (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Tatum at 29 and Porziņģis at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the arc, Indiana at 41 percent from three to Boston's 36 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-5 a night and Indiana plus-0. Call it Indiana 123, Boston 121, Boston keeping it close.
12/30 vs NYK 140-126 — IND notes
IND won 140-126. IND shot 59% (50 of 85) to NYK's 47%, 23 of 43 from three, and got to the line 21 times to NYK's 27. Turner led with 28 (10 of 17, 6 of 8 from three); Nesmith added 25, Haliburton 22. The hinge was Q3, 41-30: a lead of 2 became 13, and the lead reached 17. Nembhard was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/01 @ MIL 122-113 — IND notes
IND won 122-113. IND shot 44% (43 of 97) to MIL's 44%, 5 of 35 from three, and went to the line 38 times to MIL's 26 — 31 points from the stripe to their 21. Haliburton led with 26 (11 of 22, 1 of 7 from three); Mathurin added 25, Jackson 18. The hinge was Q4, 38-25: IND came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 9. IND trailed 56-62 at the half and won the second half 66-51. Toppin was the night's best plus/minus at +35.
1/03 vs MIL 142-130 — IND notes
IND won 142-130. IND shot 56% (50 of 90) to MIL's 50%, 14 of 35 from three. Haliburton led with 31 (10 of 20, 5 of 11 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Mathurin added 16, Turner 15. The hinge was Q3, 47-29: IND came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 16. IND trailed 66-68 at the half and won the second half 76-62. Smith was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
1/05 vs ATL 150-116 — IND notes
IND won 150-116. IND shot 64% (60 of 94) to ATL's 43%, 19 of 39 from three, and got to the line 13 times to ATL's 30. Turner led with 27 (10 of 14, 2 of 3 from three); Mathurin added 18, Brown 17. The hinge was Q1, 38-24: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 38. Nesmith was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
1/06 vs BOS 101-118 — IND notes
IND lost 101-118. IND shot 41% (38 of 92) to BOS's 51%, 8 of 42 from three. IND turned it over 9 times to BOS's 17. The glass went 38-56 against them. Mathurin led with 20 (7 of 14, 0 of 3 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Haliburton added 17, Hield 15. Q3 was theirs, 32-26, the deficit cut from 9 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 92-69 against them. Mathurin's -21 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/08 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 121, shooting 53 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Haliburton at 21 and Mathurin at 20 a game. Without Nembhard (3 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-12 a night and Indiana minus-4 and the defense, Boston allowing 109 a night to Indiana's 121. Call it Boston 122, Indiana 120, Indiana keeping it close.
1/10 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 130 a night and allowing 122, shooting 52 percent and 34 from three, 26 free throws a game; Mathurin at 21 and Haliburton at 18 a game. One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 128, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Avdija at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 13 a night. One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Indiana has been minus-3 a night and Washington minus-13 and the line, where Indiana takes 26 free throws a game to Washington's 19. Call it Indiana 129, Washington 117, Indiana by 12.
1/12 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 133, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 34 free throws a game; Young at 27 and Murray at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Hunter (9 straight), Krejčí (8 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 120, shooting 52 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mathurin at 19 and Turner at 18 a game. Without Sheppard (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Indiana wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where Atlanta takes 34 free throws a game to Indiana's 23 and the defense, Indiana allowing 120 a night to Atlanta's 133. Call it Indiana 126, Atlanta 125, Atlanta keeping it close.
1/14 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 120, shooting 53 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 24 and Murray at 24 a game. One day's rest. Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 115, shooting 54 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mathurin at 19 and Turner at 17 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Haliburton (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the line, where Denver takes 24 free throws a game to Indiana's 19. Call it Denver 121, Indiana 119, Indiana keeping it close.
12/29 vs TOR 120-118 — BOS notes
BOS won 120-118. BOS shot 49% (43 of 88) to TOR's 46%, 17 of 39 from three. BOS turned it over 16 times to TOR's 4, and TOR turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 52-38 for them. Brown led with 31 (11 of 16, 5 of 6 from three); White added 21, Kornet 20. The hinge was Q1, 35-20: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 20. Brown was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
12/31 @ SAS 134-101 — BOS notes
BOS won 134-101. BOS shot 54% (51 of 95) to SAS's 43%, 15 of 42 from three, and went to the line 22 times to SAS's 12 — 17 points from the stripe to their 9. The glass went 57-39 for them. Tatum led with 25 (10 of 17, 5 of 10 from three); Brown added 24, White 17. The hinge was Q3, 40-23: a lead of 12 became 29, and the lead reached 37. Porziņģis was the night's best plus/minus at +33.
1/02 @ OKC 123-127 — BOS notes
BOS lost 123-127. BOS shot 46% (42 of 92) to OKC's 53%, 15 of 40 from three, and went to the line 29 times to OKC's 17 — 24 points from the stripe to their 13. Porziņģis led with 34 (12 of 18, 2 of 3 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Tatum added 30, White 19. Q4 was theirs, 37-29, the deficit cut from 12 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 98-86 against them. Holiday's -15 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/05 vs UTA 126-97 — BOS notes
BOS won 126-97. BOS shot 43% (39 of 90) to UTA's 36%, 17 of 49 from three. BOS turned it over 12 times to UTA's 18. Tatum led with 30 (6 of 12, 5 of 8 from three, 13 of 14 at the line); Porziņģis added 19, Holiday 14. The hinge was Q2, 41-25: a lead of 15 became 31, and the lead reached 36. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
1/06 @ IND 118-101 — BOS notes
BOS won 118-101. BOS shot 51% (46 of 90) to IND's 41%, 16 of 41 from three. BOS turned it over 17 times to IND's 9, and IND turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 56-38 for them. Tatum led with 38 (14 of 23, 8 of 13 from three); Brown added 31, Horford 10. The hinge was Q4, 34-20: a lead of 3 became 17. White was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
1/08 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 121, shooting 53 percent and 36 from three, 26 free throws a game; Haliburton at 21 and Mathurin at 20 a game. Without Nembhard (3 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-12 a night and Indiana minus-4 and the defense, Boston allowing 109 a night to Indiana's 121. Call it Boston 122, Indiana 120, Indiana keeping it close.
1/10 vs MIN — 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 126 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 27 free throws a game; Tatum at 31 and Brown at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 106, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Towns at 25 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-9 a night and Minnesota minus-1. Call it Boston 117, Minnesota 110.
1/11 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 126, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 35 and Lillard at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Crowder (28 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 116, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 29 free throws a game; Tatum at 36 and Brown at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-6 a night and Milwaukee minus-4 and the defense, Boston allowing 116 a night to Milwaukee's 126. Call it Boston 121, Milwaukee 119, Milwaukee keeping it close.
1/13 vs HOU — 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 121 a night and allowing 117, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 29 free throws a game; Tatum at 30 and Brown at 26 a game. One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 117, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 23 and Ja. Green at 19 a game. Without Brooks (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 38 percent from three to Houston's 32 and the line, where Boston takes 29 free throws a game to Houston's 24. Call it Boston 119, Houston 111.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
OB O. Brissett
PP P. Pritchard
SH S. Hauser
INDAN A. Nesmith
BH B. Hield
BM B. Mathurin
BS B. Sheppard
IJ I. Jackson
JS J. Smith
MT M. Turner
OT O. Toppin
OT O. Tshiebwe
TH T. Haliburton
TM T. McConnell
WA Walker
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 and Jaylen Brown power Celtics to 118-101 win over Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS -- — Jayson Tatum scored 38 points, making a season-high eight 3-pointers, and Jaylen Brown added 31 points as the Boston Celtics beat the Indiana Pacers 118-101 on Saturday night, snapping the Pacers’ six-game winning streak.
Tatum, who also had 13 rebounds and six assists, combined with Brown for 27 of the Celtics’ 46 baskets on a night they shot 51% from the field and never trailed.
“(Indiana) is really good,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “When we play connected basketball, with physical half-court defense and intentional, poised offense, we play better, and that’s kind of what we did.”
Boston, which came into the game third in the NBA in field-goal percentage defense (.449) and third in rebound rate, limited the Pacers to a season-low point total and outrebounded them 70-42.
Bennedict Mathurin led Indiana with 20 points while All-Star Tyrese Haliburton finished with 17 points, seven assists, six rebounds and five steals.
“We missed a lot of shots,” Haliburton said. “They’re a really good defensive team, but we shot a lot of shots that we like. Just didn’t capitalize on them.”
Boston held a 29-17 advantage at the end of the opening period, the Pacers’ lowest-scoring first quarter of the season. The Celtics opened up a 16-point lead in the second quarter and led 58-49 at halftime despite not attempting a free throw in the half. Tatum and Brown shot a combined 16 of 27 for 37 points before intermission.
“Me and Joe watch a lot of film together,” Tatum said. “It’s just finding ways to be aggressive. Play in space. Play off actions.”
Indiana cut its deficit to 84-81 entering the fourth quarter, but the Celtics led by as many as 19 in the final quarter and cruised down the stretch. Boston received only six minutes from starting center Kristaps Porzingis , who left the game due to an eye laceration.
It was the latest chapter in an eventful season series thus far.
In the first meeting, on Nov. 1 in Boston , the Celtics beat the Pacers 155-104 as Haliburton sat out due to injury. Boston’s point total was the franchise’s highest since 1959. In a hotly contested rematch on Dec. 4, Indiana prevailed 122-112 to knock the visiting Celtics out of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament behind Haliburton’s first career triple-double.
Indiana played without starting shooting guard Bruce Brown (bone bruise in right knee) and reserve guard Andrew Nembhard (back sprain).
UP NEXT
Pacers continue their five-game homestand with a rematch against the Celtics on Monday night.