The Boston Celtics needed a late rally to force overtime against the Indiana Pacers before securing a 133-128 victory in game one of the Eastern Conference Finals on Tuesday. Jaylen Brown tied the game with a corner three-pointer with 6.1 seconds left, making it 117-117 and pushing it to overtime.
Jayson Tatum then hit a crucial late three-pointer, sealing the win and giving the Celtics a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Tatum led Boston with 36 points, including 10 in overtime, along with 12 rebounds and four assists. Brown contributed 26 points, while Jrue Holiday added 28.
Indiana, who repeatedly fought back from large deficits, was led by Tyrese Haliburton with 25 points, 10 assists, and three rebounds, and Pascal Siakam, who scored 24 points, provided seven assists, and grabbed 12 rebounds.
Brown expressed dissatisfaction with Boston’s performance despite the win, emphasizing the need for improvement. “A lot of ups and downs, I don’t think we played our best,” said the three-time All-Star.
“We almost dropped the game on our own floor. So we have got to come out and be better,” he added.
The Pacers, coming off a grueling game seven win against the New York Knicks on Sunday, struggled initially as Boston surged ahead with a 12-0 lead, energized by the home crowd.
Indiana managed to level the game 64-64 by halftime. Boston went on a 13-point run in the third quarter, taking an 87-77 lead, but Indiana rallied and led 115-100 with less than two minutes to go.
Indiana’s turnovers in the final 30 seconds of regulation allowed Brown to hit the game-tying three-pointer over Siakam. Haliburton failed to get a shot off in the closing moments, sending the game to overtime.
Tatum’s step-back three-pointer with 43 seconds left put Boston up by four. Derrick White’s layup extended the lead to six with 25 seconds remaining, securing the win for the Celtics.
“We were able to make some plays at the end but we have got to be better to be honest, but I’ll take the win,” said Brown.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle took responsibility for the loss, stating, “The loss is totally on me. With 10 seconds left in regulation, we should have just taken the timeout, advanced the ball and found a way to get it in and made a free throw or two and ended the game. But it didn’t happen and we made some other mistakes.”
Carlisle acknowledged the team’s turnover issues and emphasized the need for improvement. “We know we made mistakes, and that is an area we have got to clean up,” he said.
“We have been a tough-minded, resilient team for almost the entire second half of the year but we have to continue with that and come back here on Thursday night.”
