The Pacers made NBA history by winning the first-ever In-Season Tournament game and becoming the initial team to progress to the Knockout Rounds.
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The Pacers made NBA history by winning the first-ever In-Season Tournament game and becoming the initial team to progress to the Knockout Rounds. Currently, their aim is to be the first team to win a Knockout Round game and move on to the IST Semifinals in Las Vegas.
Indiana, with a 10-8 record, earns the opportunity to host a Quarterfinal game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Monday due to their flawless 4-0 record in Group Play. However, facing a challenging task, the Blue & Gold must overcome the Boston Celtics, who hold the NBA’s best record at 15-4, in order to advance to Vegas.
In their sole encounter this season, the Celtics easily defeated the Pacers with a decisive 155-104 win on November 1 in Boston. Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton was absent from the game due to injury.
Until Saturday, Haliburton had only missed that one game. On this occasion, he sat out Indiana’s second game in Miami because of an upper respiratory infection. The Pacers performed significantly better without Haliburton, showcasing an all-around team effort in a 144-129 victory over the Heat.
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Buddy Hield, F – Bruce Brown, F – Obi Toppin, C – Myles Turner
Celtics: G – Jrue Holiday, G – Derrick White, F – Jalen Brown, F – Jayson Tatum, C – Al Horford
As for the injuries, Tyrese Haliburton is questionable (upper respiratory infection), while Obi Toppin and Jalen Smith are out (left knee bone bruise/left heel contusion) for Pacers. On the other hand, Kristaps Porzingis is out (left calf strain) along with Jordan Walsh (G League assignment) for the Celtics.
The Pacers and Celtics have crossed playoff paths on six occasions, and Boston emerged victorious in four of those series, notably in their latest postseason clash in 2019. Among their intense encounters, two stand out as winner-take-all games: the Celtics claimed victory in Game 5 of a best-of-five first-round series in 1991, while the Pacers triumphed in a thrilling Game 7 of a best-of-seven first-round series in 2005.
Pacers head honcho Rick Carlisle notched his 251st victory with the team this Saturday, surpassing Frank Vogel and securing the second spot in franchise history. The pinnacle still belongs to Hall of Famer Slick Leonard, who boasts a remarkable 529 career wins spanning both the ABA and NBA eras.
After donning the Pacers jersey from 2021 to 2023, forward Oshae Brissett inked a deal with the Boston Celtics this summer.
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