A last second dunk by 6’3 guard Terry Rozier (9 pts 4 rebounds), helped secure the C’s 26th victory of the season, slipping by the surging Indiana Pacers 112-111 in a Eastern Conference showdown.
Boston, after defeating the Grizzlies Saturday night 102-93, visited the Pacers, who have been relatively average so far this year, despite a big life from guard Victor Oladipo. A highly contested game, guard Kyrie Irving kept his cool and dropped 30 points to go with 4 assists to help guide the C’s to a miraculous victory. Small forward Jayson Tatum, who went 6-8 from the field and sank a three on only one attempt, finished as the second leading leader for Boston with 16 points and 5 boards. Center Al Horford did everything once again for Boston, totaling only one assist away from a triple double (14 pts 10 rbs 9 assists). Horford not to mention played 36 minutes while contributing a +13 margin when on the floor.
Indiana had the advantage with the 105-102 dagger with under a minute remaining to help build a bigger lead to minimize Boston’s chances of surging back. Guard Victor Oladipo had himself a night, outlasting Kyrie Irving in points (38) but could not hold onto the victory. Reserve center Sabonis was the second leading scorer, chipping in 18 points with 7 boards to help keep Indiana in striking distance. A 10-0 hole to begin the game, the Pacers were out of luck early but overcame the strong start with good IQ basketball (12 turnovers compared to Boston’s 19). Indiana also took advantage of Boston’s free throw miscues (C’s shot 57% from the line) and shot nearly 80% to catch up using free points.
A sigh of relief for the Eastern Conference leader, Boston now tackles on the Heat this Wednesday at 7:30 pm et. If you remember from the last match up, Miami outlasted the Celtics.
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