Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers Hailed By NBA Fans for Holding Off Tatum, Celtics in OT Win
The Indiana Pacers saw their 24-point lead evaporate en route to the Boston Celtics forcing overtime, but they persevered for a 135-132 home win in this Eastern Conference Finals rematch.
Seven Pacers scored in double digits, led by Bennedict Mathurin's 30-point, 11-rebound effort off the bench. Pascal Siakam added a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Tyrese Haliburton posted 17 points and 12 assists.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum led Boston's ferocious comeback, scoring 12 of his game-high 37 points in the fourth quarter. He scored five points in the final 34 seconds off a pair of free throws and a step-back three-pointer to tie the game at 124 and force OT.
It was an incredible effort from the Celtics, who trailed by 21 points with under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter.
However, the Pacers pulled through in the end thanks to Siakam, who hit a fadeaway jumper to tie the game at 132 before hitting a three-pointer with 6.1 seconds left.
Jaylen Brown missed a three for the tie, and the ball went out-of-bounds to the Pacers. Haliburton then threw the ball off Derrick White's back and ran out the clock to seal the win.
Indiana had slogged through a 1-3 start heading into a tough matchup against the previously undefeated Boston Celtics, but this was a great and resilient bounce-back win. Fans hailed the Pacers for their outing.
The 2-3 Pacers will now face the New Orleans Pelicans on the road Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Boston fell to 4-1 and heads to Charlotte to face the Hornets on back-to-back nights beginning Friday.
