Celtics fall to Pacers after controversial late foul overturn: 8 takeaways
A foul that would have sent Jaylen Brown to the line was wiped away late.
The Celtics dropped a tough loss the Pacers on Monday, falling 133-131 in a wild finish.
Here are the takeaways.
1. After the game, Joe Mazzulla told reporters he couldn’t wait for the Last Two Minutes report on Tuesday.
The reason? With 3.2 seconds remaining and a tie game, Jaylen Brown elevated for a jumper against a couple of Pacers defenders. Buddy Hield challenged the shot from behind and while he hit the ball, he also appeared to hit Brown’s head with his arm on the follow through.
The Pacers, however, called for a challenge and — to the shock of both Brown and Brian Scalabrine on the NBC Sports Boston broadcast — they won it.
Here’s a look at the play.
Mazzulla said Hield admitted to him afterward he fouled Brown, which Hield didn’t deny.
Still, the Celtics had a chance to get a stop and send the game to overtime. On the other end, however, Kristaps Porzingis fouled Benedict Mathurin on a 3-point attempt. Mathurin made two and missed the third, which set up a final tip-in attempt by the Celtics.
Luke Kornet almost made it happen.
Brown was still seething after the game.
“I know I got hit in the head,” Brown told reporters. “… I think that needs to be investigated. It cost my team the game, and I’m pissed about it.”
Our two cents: Porzingis needed to be a little more disciplined in his defense, because he clearly fouled Mathurin. On the other hand, Brown is right to be upset — he was clearly fouled, the reason for overturning the call didn’t make much sense, and even the most ardent referee apologist would have trouble explaining how overturning that call in that moment didn’t affect the outcome, even if the Celtics could have been better prior to the play.
2. The Celtics were short-handed with Jayson Tatum and Sam Hauser both on the bench, which left things in Brown’s very capable hands. Brown exploded for a season-high 40 points. He fought his way to the rim repeatedly, knocked down mid-range jumpers and shot 3-for-4 from behind the arc.
Everything Brown did offensively looked under control and intentional, which has been a common theme for him this season.
3. After taking a nine-point lead into the break against a Pacers team reeling from the loss of their star Tyrese Haliburton (more on that in a minute), the Celtics lost the third quarter 44-33, which opened the door for the Pacers in the fourth. Brown needed a break, so the Pacers got to build a bit of an advantage. When he returned, the Pacers started splashing 3-pointers (5-for-10 in the final 12 minutes).
The Celtics needed to be better defensively in that quarter to give themselves a chance. Instead, the Pacers set the table for a hard-fought win.
4. The Celtics also could have used a big night from Derrick White with Tatum on the bench, and White emerged from a tough shooting night a bit in the fourth quarter by shooting 3-for-7 and knocking down a big triple that helped them keep pace with Brown resting. Still, overcoming the absence of Tatum and Hauser was always going to be difficult, and White’s uncharacteristic 4-for-16 performance didn’t make it any easier.
5. Aaron Nesmith seems particularly fired up whenever he plays the Celtics, and he had a nice night (defensive possessions against Brown aside), finishing with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting to go with four rebounds and two assists.
Nesmith’s animosity toward the Celtics is a little confusing, since they drafted him and dealt him to a team where he could get significantly more playing time after he was buried behind Brown and Tatum for the first two seasons of his career, but NBA players draw inspiration from odd places.
6. Tyrese Haliburton slipped on a wet spot in the first half and had a scary fall, dropping into the splits before flopping over and holding his leg in obvious pain. The 23-year-old had to be carried to the locker room and appeared to be in tears.
If Haliburton misses extended time, it’s a genuine shame, because he’s been a revelation this year — 24.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 12.7 assists per game while shooting 40.4 percent from behind the arc. After the first round of All-Star voting, Haliburton led all back-court players in the Eastern Conference by a wide margin with 1.3 million votes.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Haliburton will undergo an MRI for a strained hamstring on Tuesday. Here’s hoping for good results for a fun young star who has turned the Pacers into a very watchable League Pass team.
7. Jrue Holiday finished with a season-high 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Given that Holiday dropped 51 points in a game for the Bucks less than a calendar year ago, Porzingis noted that Holiday has made more sacrifices than anyone on the team.
For his part, Holiday pointed out that Al Horford has sacrificed his starting role, and that even players like Brown and Tatum are giving up shots and points in pursuit of a title.
“I appreciate KP saying that, where again, I’d probably say the bulk of my career, I’ve had the ball quite a bit,” Holiday said. “But again, we have a really good team. I’m not mad at my situation. I’m not mad at the sacrifices I have to make because even though I might be making the biggest one, KP says, everybody makes them.”
8. The Celtics have a tough stretch coming up with a home-and-road back-to-back against the Western-Conference leading Minnesota Timberwolves followed by a showdown with the Milwaukee Bucks in Milwaukee. Wednesday’s game at TD Garden tips off at 7 p.m.
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