Field Level Media
Dec 27, 2020
Malcolm Brogdon scored 25 points and Domantas Sabonis converted the decisive layup in the final seconds as the host Indiana Pacers recorded a 108-107 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.
Sabonis recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds and T.J. Warren scored 17 as the Pacers won their third straight game to start the season. Doug McDermott tallied 16 points, Justin Holiday 13 and Myles Turner contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and five blocked shots.
Boston's Jayson Tatum had 25 points, 11 rebounds and five assists but launched an off-the-mark 3-pointer with 1.8 seconds to play. Jaylen Brown scored 18 points, Payton Pritchard added 13, Robert Williams III had 12 points and four steals, and Marcus Smart added 11 points.
Turner's basket with 2:17 remaining gave the Pacers a 105-103 advantage. Sabonis split two free throws with 24.9 seconds left before Tatum made two free throws to pull Boston within one with 18.2 seconds left.
Williams then stole the ball from Warren, leading to Smart's layup to give the Celtics a 107-106 lead with 11.8 seconds to play.
Sabonis drove for a layup with 8.4 seconds left and was fouled but missed the free throw to leave Indiana ahead by one. Tatum then missed with Brogdon guarding him as the Celtics dropped their second in a row.
The Pacers connected on 51.1 percent of their shots from the field and hit 26.9 percent from 3-point range.
Boston shot 50.6 percent from the field, including 9 of 23 from behind the arc.
Indiana scored 12 straight points at the outset of the third quarter and 21 of the first 26 to turn a six-point halftime deficit into a 70-60 advantage with 6:45 left.
Brogdon's 3-pointer made it 81-70 with 3:16 remaining in the quarter, but the Celtics finished strong to pull to 88-83 at the end of the quarter. The Pacers scored 39 points on 15-of-20 shooting in the quarter.
Tristan Thompson's inside hoop capped an 8-0 burst to allow Boston to tie the score at 96 with 6:19 left in the fourth quarter before Indiana held on at the end.
--Field Level Media