Sports

Heartbreak: Pacers stage epic comeback against Celtics only to lose in final seconds

228

INDIANAPOLIS — Terry Rozier’s steal and dunk with 1.5 seconds left capped a frantic comeback in the final half-minute that gave the Boston Celtics a 112-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

Kyrie Irving scored 30 points for Boston, which trailed 107-102 after Victor Oladipo’s basket with 31 seconds remaining.

But Irving made a pair of 3-pointers, and following an inbound pass with nine seconds left, Boston was attempting to trap Indiana’s Bojan Bogdanovic along the sideline. Bogdanovic threw a high pass intended for Oladipo near midcourt but Rozier intercepted it and had an open court to his slam.

Al Horford had 14 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum added 16 points and Marcus Smart had 15.

Oladipo scored 12 of his 38 points in the final two minutes, including a 3-pointer that gave Indiana its first lead of the game with 53 seconds to play.

Boston started the game with a dominant first quarter, making its first 10 shot attempts, jumping out to a 12-0 lead. The Celtics led by as many as 18 points in the first quarter and went into halftime leading 62-47.

The Pacers cut the deficit to single digits in the third quarter and rallied late in the fourth.

Darren Collison finished with 15 points and Domantas Sabonis scored 18 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

TIP-INS

Celtics: Boston has won five straight against Indiana. … The Celtics have won four straight on the road against Indiana. … Boston’s 38 first-quarter points were the most points Indiana has allowed in that period this season.

Pacers: The Celtics’ 18-point lead in the first quarter was Indiana’s largest first-quarter deficit this season. … Oladipo has scored 20 or more points in 22 of Indiana’s 30 games

UP NEXT

Celtics: Host Miami on Wednesday

Pacers: Visit Atlanta on Wednesday

Original Article

[contf] [contfnew]