Monday night saw the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament Quarterfinal between the Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics. From the players to the spectators, there was an obvious energy throughout the arena. It felt like a game from the regular season.

It had bracket implications in addition to being a regular season game. The opportunity to advance to the Semifinals later this week in Las Vegas was at stake for both teams. A good start and momentum would be crucial, with the crowd far more engaged than at a normal December game.

Indiana was ahead 7–4 after two minutes. Early on against a Celtics club that had thrashed them around a month prior, they appeared prepared for the big stage.

Every time a three was made, the fans created a sense of tension. There were jeers after each Pacers foul call. It elevated each point, and it had the feel of a major match. Indiana was ahead 14–9 with just under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter when the first TV timeout was called.

Myles Turner started off playing well on both ends. Following Turner’s departure from the game, the Celtics went on a mini-run because their second unit outperformed Indiana’s. About 2.5 minutes remained in the first quarter when the Celtics took the lead. Their finest me𝚗 took charge.

After the first quarter, Boston was leading 24–22. Compared to most Pacers games, this one moved more slowly. The blue and gold lingered, but Boston was enforcing their style.

Indiana regained the lead when Bennedict Mathurin opened the second quarter with a three-pointer. He had demonstrated attentiveness from the beginning of the game, which is important for younger players in games like this.

For the next five minutes, there was back-and-forth figҺting. The Pacers had answers for the big plays that Luke Kornet made for the Celtics. There was a halt just before the second quarter’s halfway mark. Boston was ahead 36–35 at that point.

In the initial half, nobody managed to gain the upper hand. It was a fun game because every team had to put in a lot of effort to score points. With a little more than two minutes remaining in the half, no team’s biggest lead was more than six points.

Boston eventually got going with a few seconds remaining in the first half. They started a 12-0 run, which was a big outburst for them in this game, and extended their lead. At the half, the Celtics led 55–48 as a result. By the end of the half, Jayson Tatum had 12 points. Bruce Brown scored nine to lead the Pacers.

Tyrese Haliburton started off the second half with a display. To start the third quarter, the star point guard for the Pacers scored eight points in four minutes, which was more than he had in the first half. The Cetlics lead was reduced to just one as a result. At the first stoppage of the frame, he was feeling it and gestured for the crowd to become louder.

In Gainbridge Fieldhouse, as the volume increased, so did the intensity. Three quarters of the way through, it was deadlocked at 71. Haliburton scored shortly after, giving the Pacers the advantage. That game was really intense.

The third quarter continued to see the Pacers dominate. They advanced and continued to score with the support of the crowd. With a little more than a minute remaining in the quarter, they led by 11.

By the end of the frame, Boston had responded and reduced the margin to seven, but Indiana had regained control. They were playing strong defense as they outscored the Celtics 37-23 in the third quarter to reclaim the lead. It mattered to be the home team.

The Celtics cut the advantage to two at 85-83 to start the winning period. Haliburton was back in for the Pacers, but Boston was making things difficult for Indiana with their formidable defense. It enabled them to close the gap.

But the Pacers had responses, and a few moments later they were ahead seven points once more. Every run and basket for both sides felt big because of the extra energy surrounding the game.

The Celtics were here to stay. There’s a reason they have the top record and net rating in the NBA; a couple less runs won’t be enough to knock them off. With roughly six minutes remaining, they tied the game again after holding Indiana close for a few drives.

Play continued to back and forth as a result. At 99-98, Boston reclaimed the lead, but the Pacers responded immediately with a three-pointer from Haliburton. This one would be fought to the very end.

Tyrese Haliburton got up for a three-pointer with 1:33 remaining in the game to equal the score. After drilling it, he was fouled. Indiana never looked back after gaining that advantage.

They won 119–111 by maintaining possession of the last 93 seconds. They finished it off with great performance in the second half.

With a triple double to round off his career, Haliburton succeeded. Besides 13 assists, he had 10 rebounds and 26 points. Turner finished with ten rebounds and seventeen points.

On Thursday, the Pacers will play the victor of the quarterfinal match between the Milwaukee Bucks and the New York Knicks.