Indiana Pacers: 3 takeaways from Game 1 vs. Celtics
2. Defense was good, but not good enough
The Pacers limited Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and Marcus Morris to a combined 15-of-41 shooting from the field, which is something to be proud of. There are just a few more offensive options that Brad Stevens has, though, that the Pacers were overwhelmed by.
Jayson Tatum and Al Horford, for example, only combined for 25 points, but that accounted for a huge chunk of the team’s total points. Two of Tatum’s three 3-pointers came in the fourth quarter, the second of which ballooned the lead to 22 points — a large enough cushion for the Celtics to go scoreless for the last three minutes of the game.
Absolute rejection from @yungsmoove21 ✋🏾 pic.twitter.com/QdPdXkj72t
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) April 14, 2019
The hustle that the Pacers brought in the first half wasn’t quite there in the second. There simply weren’t enough fast break opportunities off steals or blocks for Indiana to steal any of the Celtics’ second half thunder.