Haliburton scores 33 points, Pacers beat slumping Celtics

KEN POWTAK of the Associated Press. Posted Dec 21, 2022 / 9:01 PM HST. Updated Dec 21, 2022 / 9:01 PM PST. BOSTON (AP). -- Tyrese Haliburton scored 33 points. The Indiana Pacers led by 30 points in the first quarter before the Boston Celtics fell to 117-112 on Wednesday night. Aaron Nesmith, a former Celtics player, scored 15 points. Chris Duarte added 14, and Myles Turner had 10. The Pacers won for the second consecutive time in six games. "I was proud of how we persevered through difficult times. We were able to overcome obstacles and put the ball in the basket. After missing a game due to personal reasons Jayson Tatum led Boston scoring 41 points. Marcus Smart, a non-COVID disease sufferer, was unable to play. The Celtics dropped five of six games that were leading the NBA last week, after being at the top of the league a week earlier. Brogdon stated that it's all about effort. The execution was not what we expected. We didn't have to execute the first half of the sentence. It was all about effort. We responded well in the second quarter. The Celtics were coming off consecutive losses to Orlando and fell behind by 30 points in the second quarter. Tatum brought them back. Joe Mazzulla, Boston interim coach, stated that the team didn't have a strong sense of urgency and didn't show awareness. Boston's deficit was cut to seven points by Tatum's 3-pointer on the right wing midway through the fourth quarter. Carlisle stated that Tyrese was a great player. There's much talk about All-Star, and who's going in and who's out. He's changed the trajectory of our team's franchise in less than one year. The Pacers led by 19 at the end the first quarter. They used an 11-0 run midway through the second to pull ahead 59-30. Nesmith's 3 from left corner gave them their first of three 30-point lead late in the first half. Nesmith stated, "It means a lot for me to take what they've taught me and use it against them." "Just the little things every day, not on the floor but off the floor how the prepare. TIP-INS Pacers Celtics: Brown fell over a TV at midcourt, but he quickly got up. UP NEXT: Monday night at New Orleans for the Pacers Celtics: Minnesota hosts the Celtics on Friday night as part of a seven-game homestand. ___ NBA: URL, and URL