On Monday night, the Indiana Pacers hosted the Boston Celtics for the second time in a row. The Celtics easily defeated the Pacers on Saturday, so Indiana was out for vengeаnce.

Because Boston was without Jayson Tatum due to ankle ιnjury management this time, the blue and gold had a better chance of winning before the game even began. But they needed to win against a Celtics squad that had gone 2-0 sans Tatum this season.

Indiana started strong, racing out to a 7-4 lead and appearing more at ease than they did the night before. That wasn’t going to be easy to keep up against a good Celtics defense, but getting the ball rolling was critical.

The following few minutes benefited Boston, who kept the game close and tied it many times. They were laboring from long range, and neither side was going to the foul line, so the early theme of paint pressure was intriguing.

Bennedict Mathurin fouled ex-Pacer Oshae Brissett hard under the hoop with less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter, and it was called a flagrant foul. This gave Brissett two foul shots and the Celtics possession, which they converted to retake the lead at 16-15. It was their game’s first advantage.

Soon after, Mathurin sank a three-pointer to restore the blue and gold’s lead, and the game became a back-and-forth figҺt. Each team traded the lead for a few possessions, with Jaylen Brown posing an early challenge for Indiana.

Mathurin continued to find space on the floor and finished the first quarter with 10 points and approximately a minute remaining. He was having a good game and was the only Pacers bench player who could put the ball in the basket early on.

After the first quarter, Boston led 34-33. Payton Pritchard Һit a three-point shot at the buzzer to give the road team the lead. Mathurin had 13 points at that point while Brown had 12 for Boston.

Bennedict Mathurin fouled ex-Pacer Oshae Brissett hard under the hoop with less than five minutes remaining in the first quarter, and it was called a flagrant foul. This gave Brissett two foul shots and the Celtics possession, which they converted to retake the lead at 16-15. It was their game’s first advantage.

Soon after, Mathurin sank a three-pointer to restore the blue and gold’s lead, and the game became a back-and-forth figҺt. Each team traded the lead for a few possessions, with Jaylen Brown posing an early challenge for Indiana.

Mathurin continued to find space on the floor and finished the first quarter with 10 points and approximately a minute remaining. He was having a good game and was the only Pacers bench player who could put the ball in the basket early on.

After the first quarter, Boston led 34-33. Payton Pritchard Һit a three-point shot at the buzzer to give the road team the lead. Mathurin had 13 points at that point while Brown had 12 for Boston.

The next key moment came with about three minutes left in the first half. Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers’ star guard, slipped and fell to the floor. On the hardwood, he did the splits while in excruciating discomfort. He was mobbed by teammates before being carted off the court with the Pacers down by two points.

The Celtics surged soon before halftime, leading by 11 with less than a minute remaining. Indiana called a timeout with 1:09 remaining to regroup after a significant ιnjury and poor performance.

They got another bucket just before halftime, but the Celtics were on a roll. At the half, the score was 68-59. Brown had 25 for Boston while Mathurin led Indiana with 15.

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The Pacers opened the second half with a flurry of three-pointers, cutting Boston’s lead to three points in the first few minutes. Early in the third, they were playing effectively and pressing the pace.

With a three-point lead, the Celtics called a timeout, but Indiana was the next team to score — and they promptly tied the game at 80. Indiana’s first-half finish was poor, but they rallied fast and were already back in the game.

They took the lead a few possessions later, at 86-83, and gained control of the game. Despite the absence of their star point guard, they were playing excellent basketball.

T.J. McConnell was outstanding for Indiana in the third frame. He was pushing the tempo and keeping the Pacers offense flowing, keeping them in the game. Boston led 95-92 with 3:40 left in the third quarter.

Indiana fought back and took the lead with less than a minute remaining in the third period. Jalen Smith had a key sequence to give the Pacers the lead back, and McConnell capitalized with momentum-shifting plays.

The Pacers led 103-101 after three periods. They scored 44 points in the third frame and were able to grab the lead back even after losing their star. It was a pretty strong quarter, and they needed to follow it up to get a win.

The final 12 minutes started with more excellent play from the Pacers, who were able to stretch their advantage to five in the first two minutes of the period. They were playing the exact style required to maintain a lead against a premier team without their greatest player.

With 6:47 remaining in the game, the Pacers maintained their five-point lead. Indiana’s Myles Turner and Aaron Nesmith had just returned, and Turner scored a tremendous shot between two defenders to extend his team’s lead.

With less than five minutes remaining, Mathurin and Jrue Holiday swapped difficult three-pointers to keep the game close. It was crunch time, and the game was down to the wire. The Celtics were on a mini-run, but the Pacers kept finding answers.

With 3:25 remaining, Boston tied the game. They were gaining ground thanks to strong performances from their All-Star players. However, the Pacers, who had been resilient throughout the second half, rallied once more. Mathurin scored a big three-pointer, and Nesmith followed it up with a fantastic and-one that got the Pacers bench up and dancing. It was 129-124 at the time.

Brown responded with consecutive baskets for the Celtics, cutting the deficit to one point. He was outstanding all night and was up to 40 points at the moment. Without him, Indiana would have been comfortably ahead.

On the next Celtics possession, Kristaps Porzingis made a three-pointer to give the visitors a two-point lead, but McConnell immediately tied things up. A Boston timeout with 35.5 seconds remaining calmed the crowd, but the score remained 131-131 at the moment. The game was designed to have a crаzy ending.

Brown missed for the Celtics on one end, while McConnell missed for the Pacers on the other. Brown took a jumper with 3.2 seconds remaining and the game hаnging in the balance, but Hield was called for a defensive foul.

The Pacers successfully disputed the foul. It was known as a clean block. The blue and gold threw the ball into Mathurin with just over three seconds remaining. Before getting fouled by Porzingis, he pivoted and took a three.

There was 0.6 to go as Mathurin stepped to the charity stripe for three attempts. He made the first two but missed the third. Boston took a timeout with 0.3 remaining.

They missed a tip-in, and the Pacers held on for a 133-131 win. Even with their star player injured, they held on in the second half and outscored Boston 74-63. It was an impressive victory.

Haliburton finished with seven points and six assists. Mathurin had 26 points and Nesmith had 17. The Pacers improved to 21-15.

Indiana hosts the Washingtоn Wizards on Wednesday.