The Indiana Pacers survived a late rally against the Boston Celtics 98-96 to snap their first three-game win streak of the season on Monday night.
Pacers forward Pascal Siakam dropped in 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, including the decisive 7-foot shot with 6.1 seconds left.
Siakam pumped fake and stepped inside the foul line for the high-arcing leaner that broke through in the final seconds.
Celtics guard Derrick White missed a three-point lead in the final seconds, tying the game at 96-all on a driving layup with 28.6 seconds left.
Indiana started the night with the NBA’s worst record, but improved to 9-31, a half-game better than the New Orleans Pelicans.
They were without forward Bennedict Mathurin, who averaged 17.8 points per game, on the sidelines for the fifth straight game due to a thumb injury.
Celtics’ Payton Pritchard had 23 points and eight assists, while White had 18 points and Anfernee Simons 16.
Meanwhile, Boston’s leading scorer Jaylen Brown was sidelined with lower back spasms and was fined $35,000 earlier Monday for criticizing referees.
This was the start of a four-game trip for the Celtics, who sit third in the Eastern Conference at 24-15.
Boston plays at Miami on Thursday, while the Pacers host the Raptors on Wednesday.
#Pacers #upset #Celtics #threegame #winning #streak #TalkBasket.net