The Boston Celtics escaped with a 133-128 overtime win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the 2024 Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night. Jaylen Brown hit a game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and the top-seeded Celtics held on in the extra period to get the series-opening win. Brown finished with 26 points, while Jayson Tatum had a game-high 36 points and 12 rebounds.
The Pacers, who entered the game as 9.5-point underdogs, were well-positioned to get a surprising win. However, they turned the ball over twice in the final 30 seconds of regulation and Tyrese Haliburton’s game-winning attempt at the end of the fourth quarter was off the mark.
Indiana, fresh off a Game 7 ousting of the New York Knicks on Sunday, turned the ball over 21 times and lost the game despite shooting 53.5% from the floor. Haliburton had 25 points and 10 assists in the loss and hit buzzer-beating 3-pointers to end both the second and third quarters. Seven different Pacers players scored at least 12 points.
Jrue Holiday had 28 points — his highest total of this playoff run — to go with eight assists and seven rebounds. He hit half of his eight 3-point attempts.
CBS Sports will have more on this game soon.
