INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers won’t get much of a break before they head into the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics.
After beating the New York Knicks in seven games during the semifinal round, the Pacers will play the Celtics in Boston on Tuesday.
Boston (64-18) finished with the best record in the NBA to claim the top seed in the East. The teams played five times during the season; the Pacers went 2-3 against the Celtics.
Nov. 1: Boston 155, Pacers 104
The Celtics hung 155 points on the Pacers in a dominating early-season performance at Boston. Eight Celtics scored in double figures, with Jayson Tatum leading all scorers with 30 points. He added 12 rebounds and four assists.
Tyrese Haliburton missed the game with a sprained ankle. TJ McConnell led the Pacers in scoring with 18 off the bench.
Dec. 4: Pacers 122, Celtics 112 (In-Season Tournament)
The Pacers rebounded about a month later, beating Boston in the quarterfinal round of the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.
Tyrese Haliburton finished with the first triple-double of his career (26 points, 13 assists, 10 rebounds). The Pacers, playing in front of the home crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, took control in the third quarter after trailing 55-48 at halftime.
Buddy Hield added 21 points on 4-6 shooting from three-point range and Myles Turner finished with a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds). The Pacers ended up in the In-Season Tournament Final in Las Vegas, eventually losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jan. 6: Boston 118, Pacers 101
The Celtics surged to a double-digit lead in the first half, limiting the Pacers to just 17 points in the first quarter. Indiana closed within three points at 84-81 at the end of the third quarter before Boston broke things open for good in the fourth.
Boston dominated the Pacers on the glass, outrebounding Indiana 70-42.
Bennedict Mathurin led the scoring for the Pacers with 20 points. Tyrese Haliburton (15 points), Buddy Hield (15 points), Myles Turner (12 points) and Obi Toppin (10 points) also finished in double figures.
Jayson Tatum had 38 points and 13 rebounds, while Jaylen Brown scored 31 points for the Celtics.
Jan. 8: Pacers 133, Boston 131
In one of the season’s more improbable wins, the Pacers topped the Celtics behind 26 points from Bennedict Mathurin, who hit a pair of clutch free throws with 0.6 seconds left to seal the victory.
Tyrese Haliburton strained his hamstring and left the game in the second quarter, a lingering injury that would force him to miss several games and return on a minutes restriction.
Seven Pacers (Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, Obi Toppin, TJ McConnell and Jalen Smith) finished in double digits. Jaylen Brown scored 40 points to lead all scorers.
Jan. 30: Boston 129, Pacers 124
In the final regular-season game between the two teams, the Celtics fended off a huge comeback effort from the Pacers. Boston led 81-66 at halftime before the Pacers rallied, closing the margin to three points at 127-124 with 31 seconds left.
Derrick White blocked a game-tying three from Aaron Nesmith; the Pacers ended up with the rebound only to see Myles Turner’s putback get blocked as well. Jrue Holiday hit a pair of free throws to close things out.
Nesmith led the Pacers with 26 points against his former team. Pascal Siakam, who’d been acquired in a trade with the Toronto Raptors about two weeks before the game, added 23.
Jayson Tatum led all scorers with 30 points.