BSJ Game Report: Pacers 123, Celtics 114 - C's defense looks bad again

Everything you need to know about the Celtics loss to the Pacers, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

The Pacers came out hot but Jaylen Brown got the C’s going, especially from 3, to take a two-point lead after one. Jarace Walker dropped 11 in a second quarter where Indy shot 62% and got to the line 10 times. Payton Pritchard’s 13 (on perfect shooting) helped keep it within seven at the half. It stayed at seven thanks to a couple of late 3-pointers by Jayson Tatum to break a cold streak. Boston cut it down to two but the Pacers answered, opening their biggest lead of the game to put it away.

Box Score

HEADLINES

- The defense, again: The Celtics allowed 54% shooting, mostly because the Pacers lived at the rim. They shot 17-24 (71%) inside the restricted area, piling up 66 points in the paint. Boston committed 22 personal fouls, giving the Pacers 27 free throw attempts, and they allowed 11 offensive rebounds. 

“They were able to spread us and guide us,” Joe Mazzulla said. “I think they had more points in transition in the first half than they did in the entire game (Friday). And when you’re not playing well defensively, that’s on everybody. It’s on the staff. It’s on the coaches, it’s on the players. So we've just got to continue to work at it.”

- Rough shooting: The Celtics ended up shooting 16-53 from 3, just 30%. They dwindled as the game went on, shooting 7-16 in the first quarter, 3-11 in the second, 5-15 in the third, and 1-12 (!!!) in the fourth. Tatum and Al Horford were a combined 3-20. 

- Another home loss: It’s their sixth at TD Garden already this season after only four last year. They are now 12-6 at home. Of the 17 teams with winning records, only three (Golden State, San Antonio, and Atlanta) have more home losses. The Clippers are the only other team with six. So that means 12 teams currently above .500 have fewer home losses than Boston.

TURNING POINT 

The Pacers fired off a 13-0 run after Boston cut it to two, quickly getting the lead up to their biggest of the game after it looked like Boston was making their comeback.

THINGS I LIKED

- Jaylen Brown: I don’t even want to know where this game would have been without Brown early in the game. He scored 12 of his 31 points in the first quarter and he was a big part of the fourth-quarter run that gave Boston life. 

- Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard hitting shots: Hauser was 3-6 from 3, his first 3-pointers since December 15. Pritchard was 5-8 from 3, and for a while I thought tonight’s story was going to be how the Celtics snapped back into an early season groove of allowing points in the paint instead of 3-pointers and Pritchard bailing out some tough shooting. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- The defense: I’ll be harping on this all night. There might have been five minutes of decent defense in this game, and I think I’m being generous. 

- Andrew Nembhard, Celtics killer? Is it time to add him to that team? He finished with 17/8/8 after missing Friday’s game. He has a knack for performing against Boston, but it’s getting to be a bit much for my liking. He’s a good player but someone on this team has to be able to defend him, right?

- Pritchard’s late turnovers: There's never a good time to turn it over, but Pritchard picked the worst time to have two bad ones in that 13-0 Pacers run. 

- Tatum and Horford shooting: I think Tatum could have drove on a few of the pull-ups that he took, but at that point he was searching for something to go right. Horford just flat out missed good looks. 

- Free throw shooting: They shot 12-19 in this game.

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- This is a serious rut. 

I’ll get more into this separately, but this is a legitimate rut for Boston. They are making too many mistakes that go beyond sloppy. They are unfocused for too long on the defensive end. They are making silly mistakes. And now they seem to be getting frustrated by things not going their way. 

I thought the blowout might have snapped them out of it but it hasn’t. Maybe the road trip will be good for them.

- Find some bench scoring … anywhere.

Getting rid of Lonnie Walker was a mistake. The Celtics could use someone who brings some solid offensive energy off the bench. Pritchard has been that guy, but Boston could use some more firepower they can tap into when someone in the regular rotation isn’t feeling it. 

Walker is rumored to be garnering some NBA interest. I think Boston should bring him back. If not him, then they have to find a bucket-getter somewhere to give them a little boost when they need it. This game was screaming for a curve ball to come in and change things. The Celtics don’t have one. 

Next up: The Celtics host the Raptors Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m.