Head to Las Vegas for Pacersthe first team qualified in the Eastern Conference for the semi-final of the “In-Season Tournament”, after their victory last night against the Celtics (122-112)!
A qualification acquired in two stages, since the players ofIndiana were first put in difficulty in the first half by those of Boston (48 points at 36% shooting), applied in defense and relevant in their approach. Indeed, Joe Mazzulla's men obviously had a clear instruction: to concrete the rebound to prevent the Pacers from playing the counter-attack as much as possible, while Rick Carlisle's troop actually prances at the top of the league in the ranking of the “pace”, with an average of 104.2 possessions per game.
Haliburton on his cloud!
But the Pacers adapted to the break, with assistant Lloyd Pierce explaining in particular that the staff had asked the players to focus more on rotating the leather on the half court, to compensate for the possessions on the counterattack which the Celtics had deprived them. Result: 74 points at 55% shooting in the second half for the Pacers, including 11 winning shots scored (19 in total)!
And in the end, it's the inevitable Tyrese Haliburton who was responsible for killing the match, with a huge winning shot with the bonus foul 1m30 from the end, while the two teams were tied. A perfect conclusion for an XXL performance: 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists, the first triple-double of his career!
Direction Las Vegas now for the Pacers, who will face the winner of the second Eastern Conference semi-final on Thursday evening, scheduled for tonight between the Bucks and the Knicks, in Milwaukee. On the Boston side, Jayson Tatum (32 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists) and Jaylen Brown (30 points and 9 rebounds) will have tried everything to ensure that their Celtics go to “Sin City” this Thursday…
To remember
– A memorable first triple-double for Tyrese Haliburton. A first career triple-double to secure a first semi-final of the NBA tournament: it was a damn successful evening for Tyrese Haliburton! Author of his best career season, the leader of the Pacers was once again absolutely brilliant, alternating with relevance the phases of counterattack and the phases of play placed on half court, at the head of the attack of his team . His efficiency was particularly breathtaking: 26 points at 10/18 on shots, but also (and above all) 13 passes without any loss of ball! Very high level.
– Pragmatic Pacers. We know it, and it already dates from last season: the Pacers do not shine in defense and rely, for better or for worse, on everything for the attack. And yesterday it worked, again. Yet put in difficulty in the first half because the Celtics were deprived of the counterattack phases they love so much, Rick Carlisle's youngsters still managed to break the barrier of Boston's defense after the break. . With incessant ball movements, excessive pick-and-rolls and ultimately, fatal winning shots for the C's (19/40 in total, 11 of 19 shots in the second period). Besides Tyrese Haliburton, six players finished with 13 points or more: the offensive firepower of these Pacers is very strong.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
