Final: Pacers 102, Celtics 101 -- Oladipo bests Irving in crunch time

Kyrie Irving was good during crunch time, but Victor Oladipo was even better. The Pacers All-Star hit a game-winning 3 with three seconds remaining in regulation, helping the hosts rally to a 102-101 win, which snapped Boston's four-game winning streak.

Irving had six of his 18 points in the final 68 seconds after making a pair of threes on the right wing, but he missed a crucial layup with 11 seconds remaining that could have produced a two-possession lead for the visitors. Oladipo gobbled up the rebound and pulled up with the go-ahead 3, which proved to be the game-winner after a cold Gordon Hayward threw away the ball on the final play of the game, resulting in a steal for Oladipo.

The loss spoiled another big shooting night for Marcus Morris (23 points off the bench). Gordon Hayward struggled mightily (2-of-10 shooting, four points). Oladipo had a game-high 24 points for the Pacers. 

Second Quarter Notes

• Ugly quarter for the C's offense. Lots of midrange shots from Rozier and Smart that weren't high percentage and the 3s continue not to fall unless Morris is taking them.


• Six turnovers for the C's in the second quarter helped allow Pacers get some easy looks in transition.


• Three fouls for Irving produced just three first half shots for the All-Star. C's need to get him involved more.


• Jaylen Brown attacking nicely in transition but he's still not hitting enough shots efficiently (3-of-10 from the field).


• Pacers got to line a bunch, getting a 16-5 edge over tC's in first half.

• C's open the game with plenty of good looks from beyond the arc but nothing fell in the wake of their record-breaking night. Everyone got into the act on the way to an 0-of-8 start from downtown and 1-of-11 start from the field.


• The Pacers weren't able to open up much of a lead though offensively (7-0) during this drought due to strong defensive effort from the C's D. Pacers picked up Irving with success early in the post but they have done a nice job on the glass.


• Good work by Hayward in the post against Thaddeus Young.


• Marcus Morris with two quick baskets off the bench.


• C's open up 12-0 run after falling behind by seven.


• Kyrie and Smart with some very nice D and deflections against the high powered Pacers backcourt.


• C's go 8-of-9 after starting the game 1-of-12 from the field to build a 23-9 run midway through the quarter.


• Smart frustrated the Pacers playmakers with a charge drawn on Evans and a steal on Oladipo.


• Morris with a team-high eight points in just six minutes helping C's close out the quarter on a 28-11 run.

• Jaylen Brown will play. He took part in shootaround on Saturday morning after sitting out Thursday's win against the Bucks. Daniel Theis remains out after tearing his plantar fasciitis.


• The Pacers are fully healthy and remain as one of the most balanced scoring teams in the league over the first few weeks. After top scorer Victor Oladipo (22 ppg), six players average between nine and 13 points per game, including offseason addition Tyreke Evans.


• Indy should serve as a big test for Boston's league-leading 3-point defense. The Pacers rank third in the league with 39.7 percent shooting from downtown through their first eight games.


• Look for the C's to try to take advantage of the offensive glass tonight against the Pacers smaller frontcourt. Myles Turner is rebounding like a small forward this year with Domantas Sabonis and Kyle O'Quinn (who plays limited minutes) serving as the team's only above-average defensive rebounders.