The Boston Celtics were favorites to win the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament. Those aspirations and expectations fell short last night as the Indiana Pacers knocked out the team with the (current) best record. With the win, the Pacers now advance to the semifinals of the IST in Las Vegas. The Celtics will now host a regular season game with either the New York Knicks or the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday – pending the winner of the knockout match between the two teams.
Despite taking a lead in the first half, with Kristaps Porzingis sitting on the sidelines with a mild injury, the Celtics didn’t have an answer for Tyrese Haliburton in the second half. Halliburton went off, contributing to Indy’s 72 points in the final two quarters.
Tatum, who is currently in MVP conversations, finished with 32 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Jaylen Brown finished with 30 points. The dynamic duo needed other players, especially Jrue Holiday, to take on some of the load, but finished the game with just nine points. The only other Celtics players to finish in double-digits were Derrick White (18 points) and Sam Hauser (15).
The unexpected exit from the IST proved that Boston’s bench isn’t as deep as they need it to be – especially if they plan to go all the way in the Playoffs this Summer.
Jayson Tatum let his feelings be known about missing Vegas trip 😅 pic.twitter.com/T9y8DBbL05
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) December 5, 2023
