After a tight loss in the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs this past Sunday, the Boston Celtics were looking to bounce back after a few days off against Indiana Pacers. Pacers, who just played yesterday, are fresh off a win themselves and were looking to build a winning streak. Both teams lead the NBA in steals, Celtics at 11.3 steals per game and Indiana not too far off with 11.0 steals per game. Fair to say, it was destined to be a tight battle.

The Pacers beat the Celtics with the final score of 100-98, off game winning free throws from Monta Ellis, although the green team had a chance to tie or win the game. In which, Avery Bradley attempted a game-winning three for the Celtics and couldn’t get it down.

Celtics were down for the most of the first half, but came out striking in the third quarter. 4:54 in the third, the C’s took the lead off a Sully go ahead three ball. From there, the game was a tight one, exchanging baskets up in until the final shot.

Standouts:

Probably expected, but Isaiah Thomas was the main stand out for the Celtics, 27 points and seven assists on 9 of 19 shooting for the night. To add on that, Thomas started for Marcus Smart. Smart was out for tonight’s game because of a big toe injury. His backcourt partner Bradley had 21 points and five assists himself. C’s backcourt nearly accounted for half of the team’s total. For Indiana, it was Paul George, who put up a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds. It seemed like George had made all his baskets in the most important times in the game, including a big corner three down the stretch.

Disappointments:

Tyler Zeller woes continued, missing two early baskets for the Celtics, as he saw his night end early, only playing about three and half minutes. It’ll be interesting to see how Zeller responds next game. Kelly Olynyk struggled as well, failing to make a shot on five attempts.

Rookies Watch:

Terry Rozier saw the floor in tonight’s game, which was expected after Smart’s news. Rozier, however, did not knock down a basket, but collected four rebounds in just six minutes. The George State guard R.J. Hunter played his first professional minutes, and he made a corner jumper and surprisingly led the team in plus-minus.

Coming Up:

As Celtics look to snap out of this three-game losing streak, they will return home to face the Washington Wizards, who just beat the Spurs off a Bradley Beal three pointer with three tenths of a second left in the game. Expect Smart to be there for the C’s. For the Pacers, their mini road trip continues to Miami, as they face the Heat on Friday.

Watch Jae Crowder hit a ridiculous full court shot inbounding the ball (Shot does not count)