Game ID: 22300507
Boston Celtics @ Indiana Pacers
Monday, January 8, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
IND 33 26 44 30 133BOS 34 34 33 30 131
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 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
IND availability going into 1/15 · back-to-backOUT Haliburton missed 3 since 1/10, out tonight
BACK Nembhard back 1/08 after 3, 23 min since (85% 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 12/31 · 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
BOS availability going into 1/15 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 1/11 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
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.
1/01 @ 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 133-131 — IND notes
IND won 133-131. IND shot 53% (48 of 91) to BOS's 52%, 19 of 40 from three, and got to the line 22 times to BOS's 29. Mathurin led with 26 (8 of 15, 5 of 9 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Nesmith added 17, Turner 16. The hinge was Q3, 44-33: IND came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 2. IND trailed 59-68 at the half and won the second half 74-63. McConnell was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
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.
1/15 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 131 a night and allowing 115, shooting 53 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Markkanen at 26 and Sexton at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 13 a night. Without Horton-Tucker (5 straight), Juzang (15 straight). One day's rest. Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 116, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mathurin at 18 and Turner at 14 a game. Without Haliburton (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Utah wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Utah has been plus-13 a night and Indiana plus-0 and the line, where Utah takes 27 free throws a game to Indiana's 20. Call it Utah 123, Indiana 117.
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 131-133 — BOS notes
BOS lost 131-133. BOS shot 52% (47 of 90) to IND's 53%, 17 of 35 from three, and went to the line 29 times to IND's 22 — 20 points from the stripe to their 18. J. Brown led with 40 (17 of 26, 3 of 4 from three); Holiday added 21, Porziņģis 19. Q2 was theirs, 34-26, but the other 3 periods went 107-97 against them. They led by as many as 11. Horford's -9 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
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.
1/15 @ TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 131, shooting 54 percent and 44 from three, 22 free throws a game; Siakam at 22 and Barrett at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Poeltl (3 straight), Freeman-Liberty (37 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 27 free throws a game; Brown at 30 and Tatum at 29 a game. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 120 a night to Toronto's 131 and the glass, where Boston has been minus-1 a night and Toronto minus-6. Call it Boston 123, Toronto 119, Toronto keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
INDAN A. Nembhard
AN A. Nesmith
BB B. Brown
BH B. Hield
BM B. Mathurin
IJ I. Jackson
JS J. Smith
MT M. Turner
OT O. Toppin
TH T. Haliburton
TM T. McConnell
BOSAH A. Horford
DB D. Banton
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
OB O. Brissett
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SM S. Mykhailiuk
IND/BOS 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
Pacers rally past Celtics 133-131 after Tyrese Haliburton injures hamstring
INDIANAPOLIS -- — Bennedict Mathurin scored 26 points, including the deciding free throws with 0.6 seconds remaining, and the Indiana Pacers rallied after All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton suffered a hamstring injury to beat the Boston Celtics 133-131 on Monday night.
Haliburton strained his left hamstring when he slipped and did the splits on a drive in the second quarter. He was carried to the locker room by two teammates. An MRI was scheduled for Tuesday.
“That was a very deflating moment,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “(But) this was an important game. Every game that we play has the ability to be a season-defining game.”
Mathurin was fouled by Kristaps Porzingis on a 3-pointer just before time expired. The call was reviewed and upheld. Mathurin sank the first two free throws and missed the third on purpose.
“I was excited,” Mathurin said. “It was a pretty good thing to be a part of.”
He finished 8 of 15 from the field, including five 3-pointers, as Indiana split a two-game home series against the top team in the Eastern Conference.
“Really amazing effort from our team,” Carlisle said. “A lot of emotions in this game, for a lot of reasons: you're playing the best team in basketball and Tyrese's injury situation.”
All-Star Jaylen Brown scored a season-high 40 points on 17-of-26 shooting for the Celtics, who were without leading scorer Jayson Tatum . The four-time All-Star sat out to manage a left ankle sprain. Tatum averages 27.5 points, and he had 38 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in Saturday’s 118-101 win over the Pacers.
“He stepped up and didn't force anything,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of Brown. “He let the game come to him. He scored in many different ways.”
Jrue Holiday scored 21 points and Porzingis had 19 for Boston.
“We all played a relatively decent offensive game,” Mazzulla said, “but we all have to be better on defense.”
The Pacers trailed by nine points at halftime but finished with seven double-figure scorers. Aaron Nesmith scored 17 points, Myles Turner 16 and Buddy Hield 15.
Brown thought he was headed to the line for potential game-deciding free throws after officials whistled Hield for a foul with the game tied at 131 and 3.2 seconds remaining. But a review overturned the call and awarded possession to the Pacers.