Pacers rally from big deficit but can't beat Celtics, Jayson Tatum

BOSTON -- The Pacers rallied back from a 20-point first-half deficit to take the lead and were within three points with less than a minute to go, but the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics held them off 129-124 at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

The Pacers snapped a three-game winning streak and fell to 27-21. The Celtics improved to 37-11.

Here are four observations.

Celtics have a great second quarter

The Pacers had an exceptional second quarter on the offensive end, making 15 of 28 field goals, including 4 of 9 3-pointers, and also making all seven of their free throws. They turned the ball over just twice, grabbed seven offensive rebounds and capped it with Tyrese Haliburton's buzzer-beating 3-pointer from halfcourt. They put 40 points on the board, 1.56 per possession. By any measure, an extremely efficient offensive quarter.

And somehow they lost the quarter by five points.

Here's the degree to which the Celtics were on fire in the second quarter. In the first 11:32 of the period, the Pacers didn't have a defensive rebound. The Celtics made 14 of their first 15 shots, including each of their first seven 3-pointers, and guard Payton Pritchard ran down the offensive rebound on their only miss. Boston turned the ball over twice, and that accounted for the Pacers' only stops in the first 10 minutes. At one point, the Celtics were averaging more than 2.00 points per possession, which basically meant they were scoring every time down the floor.

Pacers forward Obi Toppin grabbed two defensive rebounds in the last 30 seconds, one on a missed 3-pointer by Jayson Tatum and another on a missed free throw by Tatum. Still, the Celtics finished 15 of 17 from the floor, 7 of 8 from 3 and 8 of 9 at the line for a remarkable 45 points on 1.88 points per possession. Tatum scored 19 points by himself on 8 of 9 shooting, and Jaylen Brown had eight including a perfect 6 of 6 at the line.

"Our first half was poor," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. "Not enough presence. Not enough force."

Super Bowl rooting interest: Tyrese Haliburton cheering on Iowa State friend Brock Purdy

Celtics firepower too much for Pacers rally

The Pacers rallied back from Boston's incredible second period by winning the third period 37-25, erasing what had been a 20-point lead and taking the lead before a dunk by Celtics backup big man Neemias Queta made it a 106-103 game heading into the fourth quarter. After that exceptional second quarter, the Pacers held the Celtics to 10 of 23 shooting and 0.99 points per possession in the third quarter.

"We changed the matchups a little bit," forward Pascal Siakam said. "Just being a little bit more aggressive. We weren't that physical, they made some tough shots, they made some easy shots. A team like that you can't let them get comfortable early. I thought they did that. In the second half, I thought we came back a little bit more solid. We played harder. More communication, a little more physical. We were able to tie the game and get it to a good point. Our intensity was a lot better in the second half.

But the firepower of the Celtics' starting five, arguably the best in the NBA, was ultimately too much for the Pacers to keep up with, especially with Tyrese Haliburton on a minutes restriction (more on that to come). All five Boston starters scored in double figures. All-NBA wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were yet again tough to contain, but so was less-heralded guard Derrick White. Tatum scored 30 points on 12 of 19 shooting, including 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Brown scored 25 points. White scored 15 first-quarter points to get the Celtics started and finished with 24 on 8 of 16 shooting, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range.

Big man Kristaps Porzingis added 17 points and point guard Jrue Holiday had 17 on 6 of 8 shooting, including 3 of 3 from beyond the arc. The Celtics shot 54.0% from the floor, 17 of 36 from 3-point range and posted 1.27 points per possession.

Despite all that production, the Pacers were within three points with 51 seconds left. However, the Celtics played exceptional defense to cause a 24-second violation. White blocked an Aaron Nesmith attempt for 3, and Porzingis blocked a shot by Myles Turner at the rim. On the ensuing possession, Jrue Holiday hit two free throws to put the Celtics up five with 16.8 seconds to go and Boston held on.

Tyrese Haliburton plays cautious, ends night early

In his second attempt at a return from a strained hamstring, Tyrese Haliburton seemed a little more cautious -- it was reported on the television broadcast that he was on a minutes restriction -- and it took him longer to get his rhythm. He made just one of his first eight shots and he was 3 of 13 from the floor before he banked in a shot from halfcourt at the halftime buzzer.

He seemed a little more comfortable early in the second half, but he was pulled at the halfway point of the third quarter and did not return.

He still managed 13 points and 10 assists. He finished 5 of 16 from the floor, including 1 of 5 from 3-point range, in 22 minutes.

Haliburton and Carlisle acknowledged afterward that Haliburton was on a minutes restriction and that his return this time will be gradual. He doesn't know exactly how long he'll be limited, but Haliburton acknowledged it could take some time before he's back to playing the same kind of minutes he was before the injury.

"It's just trying to do what we can to keep me healthy moving forward," Haliburton said. "Obviously we know I need to play a certain amount of games. At the same time I need to be on the floor with my teammates. That's what I want to do. I want to play. There obviously was a setback the first time. I think as a franchise and an organization we're coming together and we made a group plan of what's best for me to be able to be on the floor long term. I'm trying to play in every game if I can if I'm able to."

Carlisle said he was pleased with how Haliburton got himself back into action.

"This is not the easiest team in the world to come back against," Carlisle said. "It's very challenging. You have to give him a lot of credit for wanting to do this. It's a lot. I have a lot of respect for that."

T.J. McConnell was also out with an illness and had to stay at the team hotel. Andrew Nembhard did excellent work in extended minutes, scoring 15 points and dishing out five assists.

Aaron Nesmith, playing motivated, goes off

Aaron Nesmith speaks well of his time in Boston and the Celtics speak well of him, but he's still motivated every time he plays them. He was hopelessly stuck behind the All-NBA wings Brown and Tatum and never had a steady role until he was traded to the Pacers in the deal that sent Malcolm Brogdon to Boston. (Brogdon has since been sent to Portland in the Jrue Holiday deal.) So Nesmith always wants to make it clear he deserved more.

He certainly showed that with 26 points on 11 of 17 shooting, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range, 12 rebounds and seven assists against zero turnovers. Rebounding has been a much easier proposition for him since the Pacers added Pascal Siakam. Playing small forward allows him punch his weight on the glass. He's recorded at least six rebounds in each of his last five games.

"He just played aggressive," Carlisle said. "Everything with him starts with his running. He's learned to move well within our system. His recognition gets better each year. We knew he could shoot the ball, he's developed a dependable drive game when he has the space. He did a good job."

Pacers stats vs. Celtics

INDIANA (124): Nesmith 11-17 0-0 26, Siakam 9-16 4-4 23, Turner 7-18 1-4 17, Haliburton 5-16 2-2 13, Hield 5-9 0-0 12, Toppin 5-11 0-0 11, Smith 2-6 3-3 7, Nembhard 6-13 2-2 15, Sheppard 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 50-108 12-15 124.

BOSTON (129): J.Brown 9-15 7-8 25, Tatum 12-19 2-3 30, Porzingis 6-17 3-4 17, Holiday 6-8 2-2 17, White 8-16 4-4 24, Hauser 3-5 0-0 9, Brissett 0-0 0-0 0, Queta 2-3 0-1 4, Pritchard 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 47-87 18-22 129.

IND 26 40 37 21 — 124

BOS 36 45 25 23 — 129

3-Point Goals—Indiana 12-39 (Nesmith 4-7, Hield 2-5, Turner 2-7, Siakam 1-1, Toppin 1-4, Haliburton 1-5, Nembhard 1-5, Sheppard 0-2, Smith 0-3), Boston 17-36 (White 4-7, Tatum 4-9, Holiday 3-3, Hauser 3-5, Porzingis 2-6, Pritchard 1-3, J.Brown 0-3). Fouled Out_None. Rebounds_Indiana 50 (Nesmith 12), Boston 40 (Porzingis 12). Assists_Indiana 33 (Haliburton 10), Boston 25 (Tatum 7). Total Fouls_Indiana 21, Boston 16. A_19,156 (18,624)

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs. Celtics: Tyrese Haliburton on minutes restriction in loss