Boston Celtics outlast Pacers: 3 takaways from OT thriller in Indiana

The Boston Celtics won their first game since the NBA All-Star break when they faced the Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. Before the break, the Celtics won 5 out of their last 6 games, including a 127-109 win against the Detroit Pistons on February 15.

The Celtics had some familiar faces when they matched up against the Pacers because former Celtics players Daniel Theis and Aaron Nesmith were in the game for the Pacers. Both players were involved in the trade that sent Malcolm Brogdon to the Celtics this offseason. Also, this is Brogdon’s first return to Indiana since the trade.

Boston Celtics had a challenge on their hands from the Pacers

In the Pacers last game on February 15, the Pacers snapped a five-game losing streak when they won against the Chicago Bulls 117-113. The Pacers are 12th in the Eastern Conference and are 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors for the Play-In Tournament.

The Pacers won their previous matchup against the Celtics 117-112 on December 21, despite Jayson Tatum scoring 41 points and Jaylen Brown having a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Turner became the 47th different NBA player to score 40+ points, which ties the record set in the 2020-21 shortened season.

The Celtics allowed Miles Turner to have a monster game with 40 points including 8 three-pointers. The 40 points tied for Turner’s career high, which he also achieved on the October 22, 2021 135-134 loss against the Washington Wizards. The 8 three-pointers is also a career-high for Turner as he went over his previous high of 7, which was achieved twice in his career. But despite this, the Celtics were able to pull off this win and it was because of these reasons.