The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are battling in the 2024 Eastern Conference finals with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. Boston, the East’s top seed, is heavily favored in the series. The Celtics won Game 1 on Tuesday night in dramatic fashion. Jaylen Brown hit a game-tying 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining and Boston edged Indiana in overtime.
Jayson Tatum (36 points), Jrue Holiday (28 points) and Brown (26 points) all had big scoring nights, and Boston got the win after coughing up a 12-point second-half lead. The Pacers saw seven different players score at least 12 points in Game 1, but 21 turnovers — including a few in the final minute of regulation — hurt them.
Here’s everything you need to know as the Celtics and Pacers continue their series:
Celtics vs. Pacers schedule, scores
All times Eastern | * If necessary
- Game 1: Celtics 133, Pacers 128 (OT) — Boston leads 1-0
- Game 2: Thursday, May 23 — Pacers at Celtics, 8 p.m., ESPN/fubo
- Game 3: Saturday, May 25 — Celtics at Pacers, 8:30 p.m., ABC/fubo
- Game 4: Monday, May 27 — Celtics at Pacers, 8 p.m., ESPN/fubo
- Game 5*: Wednesday, May 29 — Pacers at Celtics, 8 p.m., ESPN/fubo
- Game 6*: Friday, May 31 — Celtics at Pacers, 8 p.m., ESPN/fubo
- Game 7*: Sunday, June 2 — Pacers at Celtics, 8 p.m., ESPN/fubo
Celtics vs. Pacers, Game 2
Where to watch
Time: 8 p.m ET | Date: Thursday, May 23
Location: TD Garden — Boston
TV channel: ESPN | Streaming: fubo (try for free)
Storylines
Turnovers were a killer for the Pacers in their Game 1 loss. Indiana had a golden chance to steal a game on the road, but 21 giveaways really did the Pacers in. That figure includes two turnovers with less than 30 seconds left in regulation when Indiana had the ball and a 3-point lead. Tyrese Haliburton had 25 points and 10 assists, but he turned it over three times, including one where he dribbled the ball off his leg in the final minute.
“We gotta do a better job. I had two bad turnovers that I feel like cost us the game, one in the fourth and one in overtime,” Haliburton said afterward. “…I gotta be better and I will be better in Game 2 and we’ll respond the right way.”
The Celtics turned those 21 Pacers turnovers into 32 points.
Prediction
Game 1 felt like a major opportunity for the Pacers because I don’t know how many more chances they’re going to get at catching the Celtics off guard. We’ve seen in each of the previous two rounds that Boston falls asleep at the wheel just once, and I think that was Indiana’s one shot at stealing a win. The pick: Celtics -9
