Celtics erase 17-point deficit, top Pacers

[December 31, 2020]  Jayson Tatum scored 14 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter as the Boston Celtics rallied past the Indiana Pacers 116-111 Tuesday night at Indianapolis.

Tatum added 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who snapped a two-game skid. Jaylen Brown had 20 points, Marcus Smart 17 and Tristan Thompson scored 14 to go with 10 rebounds.

Victor Oladipo led six Pacers in double figures with 24 points, Malcolm Brogdon had 19, T.J. Warren 17, Myles Turner 16 and Domantas Sabonis 14 with 11 rebounds. Justin Holiday contributed 12 points off the bench. Indiana lost for the first time in four games this season.

The Celtics, who trailed by 17 with 2:44 left in the third quarter, began the fourth with an 11-0 run to knot the score at 94. Boston seized a 100-98 lead when Tatum followed a three-point play with a go-ahead bucket at 7:29.

Tatum made a pair of free throws, Thompson had a tip-in and Smart followed a 3-pointer with two from the line for a 109-100 edge with 4:11 left. A Sabonis layup ended a nearly four-minute stretch without a field goal for Indiana at 2:58, and the Pacers got within 111-109 on an Oladipo floater with 1:01 remaining.

A Brown steal and bucket on the other end restored Boston's lead to four with 23.8 ticks to go, and the Celtics made 3 of 4 free throws the rest of the way to seal the result.

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) defends in the first quarter at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

As in their first meeting Sunday, when the Pacers outscored the Celtics 39-28 in the third quarter on their way to a 108-107 victory, Indiana came out of halftime firing. The hosts began the quarter with a 14-6 surge, and after Boston got within one, the Pacers ripped off a 17-1 run to grab the game's largest lead, 88-71. Warren had nine points during the stretch.

Indiana maintained its double-digit edge to enter the fourth up 94-83.

The Celtics ended the first quarter up 31-26 but couldn't expand their lead beyond five in the second. The Pacers tied the game on five occasions in the period, including when Brogdon nailed a jumper with 1:59 left for a 53-all tie. Boston eked ahead 58-57 at the break.

--Field Level Media

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