The game was a back-to-back. Myles Turner wasn’t playing. There are reasons to think this was an anomaly, but the Indiana Pacers looked horrible from start to finish in a demoralizing loss in Boston.
The Pacers looked lethargic for essentially the entire game. They didn’t close out well on shooters (the Celtics hit 14/32 threes) they didn’t box out (Boston won the rebounding battle 48-39) and they went through the motions on D frequently (they gave up 135). It was ugly.
The Pacers didn’t do themselves any favors. They shot 42.9 percent from the field and missed 12 free throws.