Boston was without Jayson Tatum this time due to an ankle injury, so they had a chance to beat the Blue and Gold before the game even started.
But they needed to gain an advantage against a Celtics team that went 2-0 on the night without Tatum this season.
Indiana was solid from the start, jumping out to a 7-4 lead and looking more comfortable than two nights ago.
It wasn’t easy to maintain that against a stout Celtics defense, but it was important to set the tone.
The next few minutes had a slight advantage for Boston, who kept it close and tied the game several times.
Paint pressure became an interesting topic early on as both teams struggled from long range and couldn’t get to the foul line.
Just five minutes before the end of the first quarter, Benedict Mathurin fouled former Pacer O’Shea Brissett so hard under the basket that it appeared to be flagrant.
This caused Brissett to make two foul shots, giving the Celtics possession and giving them the lead again at 16:15.
That was their first advantage in this match.
Maturin made his 3-pointer shortly after to give the Blue and Gold the lead back and the game was back and forth.
Each team traded the lead for a few possessions, and Jaylen Brown proved to be a problem for Indiana from the start.
Mathurin repeatedly found space down the field and scored 10 points with about a minute left in the first quarter.
He played well and was the Pacers’ only reserve player who was able to put the ball in the basket early.
Boston led 34-33 after the first quarter.
Peyton Pritchard hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the visiting team the lead.
Mathurin had 13 points at that point, and Brown had 12 points for Boston.
Boston looked like the better team in the second quarter.
They extended their lead to five early in the game and continued to make things difficult for the Pacers.
Indiana still held steady and regained the lead just under eight minutes before halftime.
Neither team looked like the better team for his first 16 minutes or so of the game.
Several interruptions disrupted the rhythm of the second quarter.
Isaiah Jackson threw Luke Cornette to the ground and was given a technical foul for coming close after the final whistle.
Shortly after, the Celtics attempted an offensive foul on Brown but failed.
Six minutes before the end of the first half, the score was 50.
The next key moment occurred about three minutes before the end of the first half.
Pacers star guard Tyrese Haliburton slipped and fell to the ground.
He did a split and was in a lot of pain on the hardwood.
He was surrounded by his teammates and then carried off the floor with the Pacers leading by six points.
