Pacers Outpaced at Home: Celtics Secure Commanding Victory
The Indiana Pacers, with a season tally of 21-15, faced off against the Boston Celtics, who bolstered their impressive record to 28-8 after securing a 118-101 victory. The game unfolded at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, where the Celtics demonstrated their dominance across all four quarters.
The Pacers struggled to gain momentum from the start, trailing with only 17 points in the opening quarter compared to the Celtics' consistent scoring pace. Despite a valiant effort in the second and third quarters where they matched their opponents with 32 points each time, it was not enough to close the gap or take a lead at any point during the contest.
Indiana's performance was marked by an aggressive defense that resulted in 12 steals but only translated into two blocks. Offensively, they managed to draw more fouls than Boston with a total of 20 and capitalized on these opportunities by achieving a free throw percentage of 77 percent. The bench contributed significantly with 42 bench points but this firepower was insufficient against Boston's robust offense.
The home team excelled in converting second-chance opportunities as evidenced by their impressive second-chance shooting percentage of 71 percent which led to them scoring 14 second-chance points. However, they struggled beyond the arc making just eight out of their attempted three-pointers for an underwhelming three-point shooting percentage of just 19 percent.
On offense for Indiana, points in paint were a strong suit as they made good on over half their attempts resulting in matching Boston's paint score with both teams netting an identical score of 54 points from inside. Despite this parity down low and managing more efficient ball handling reflected by an assists turnover ratio of over two times better than that of Boston's (2.56), it wasn't enough to overcome other shortcomings.
Looking ahead for Indiana fans eager to support their team through thick and thin; The Pacers will next host rivals -the Boston Celtics again at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on January eighth at seven o'clock PM Eastern Time. This rematch can be viewed locally on BSIN channel number six hundred seventy-one dash four or for those following from afar on NBCS-BOS channel six hundred thirty.