LeBron James rips into NBA over controversy in Pacers win over Celtics
After the controversial overturned foul call against Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield on Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown, LeBron James chimed in on Twitter.
On Monday night, the Indiana Pacers bounced back with a win over the Boston Celtics. After a tough loss to the Celtics on Friday, they found a way to win on Monday in spite of an injury to Tyrese Haliburton.
Haliburton went down in the second quarter with a hamstring injury, and the Celtics walked into halftime up by nine points. Despite that, the Pacers, led by TJ McConnell, picked up a big-time win.
However, the victory was covered in controversy, as the final minute of the game included a couple of controversial calls, one of which was overturned by the referees.
With the game tied, Jaylen Brown drove down the court and took a contested mid-range jump shot. Buddy Hield was called for a foul, which head coach Rick Carlisle challenged.
This foul by Buddy Hield on Jaylen Brown was overturned by the referees.
Thoughts? 🤔pic.twitter.com/BakjfMsjxi
— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) January 9, 2024
The Pacers eventually won the challenge, and the call was overturned. But on the replay, it looked clear that Hield hit Brown in the back of the head with his forearm.
Needless to say, Brown and the Celtics were very upset. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James also chimed in on Twitter, calling out the refs for blowing the ball, noting that Brown “clearly got hit in the back of the head.”
See what I’m saying! 🤦🏾♂️. JB clearly got hit in the back of the head. They reviewed the play, just to reverse it and say he didn’t. MAN WHAT!! Good ass game to have an ending like that. And yall see why I be going 🦍 💩 out there when it happens
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 9, 2024
Following the controversial overturned call, Kristaps Porzingis was called for a foul on Bennedict Mathurin, which sent the Pacers youngster to the line. He nailed the first two free throws, eventually icing the game for Indiana.
Boston was also upset with that call, but most of the discourse after the game had to do with the overturned call against Brown, especially considering what was said to Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.
According to Mazzulla, Hield told him after the game that he did, in fact, hit Brown on the head. The Celtics head coach said that he would be waiting for the NBA’s Last Two-Minute report the following day.
As for Hield, he wouldn’t confirm nor deny what he said to Mazzulla but did say that he spoke with the Boston coach.
In the end, the call was what it was, and the Pacers walked away with a victory, putting them back on track in a tough Eastern Conference after a bad loss to the same Celtics on Friday.
2 Duds, 1 stud from Indiana Pacers brutal loss to Boston Celtics
2 Duds, 1 stud from Indiana Pacers brutal loss to Boston Celtics
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Following their impressive run in the In-Season Tournament, the Indiana Pacers went on a cold stretch. But then they got hot again, winning six games in a row.
Unfortunately, their winning ways came to an end on Saturday night, as they suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Boston Celtics by a score of 118-101.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown absolutely torched the Pacers, as Indiana failed to find an answer for either one of them all night long. Tatum poured in buckets from the perimeter while Brown dominated the paint.
It was an ugly loss, so let’s take a look at two duds and one stud from the Pacers’ defeat against the Celtics on Saturday night.
Dud – Aaron Nesmith
This placement as a dud is a bit unfair to Aaron Nesmith, who played with amazing intensity against the Celtics. He even topped off his night with a great highlight dunk over Derrick White.
Unfortunately, Nesmith was tasked with guarding Tatum for a big part of the night, and he simply couldn’t keep up. Tatum was on fire all game, and nobody was able to stop him.
To make matters worse, Nesmith had a terrible offensive game. He ended the night with eight points, four rebounds, three steals, and one block but shot just 3-of-13 from the field and 0-of-7 from behind the three-point line.
Nesmith is often tasked with being the Pacers’ top perimeter defender, and he’s done a solid job in that role. But on Saturday night, Tatum was just too much for him to deal with.
2 Studs, 1 dud from Indiana Pacers incredible late-game win over Boston Celtics
2 Studs, 1 dud from Indiana Pacers incredible late-game win over Boston Celtics
By Jack Simone
The Indiana Pacers just picked up what may be their best win of the season. After losing to the Boston Celtics on Saturday night, they bounced back in a big way.
Tyrese Haliburton went down with an injury in the second quarter, one that looked bad at the moment, but the Pacers were able to climb all the way back and take down the best team in the league.
Jayson Tatum was absent with an injury, but Jaylen Brown poured in a season-high 40 points. Some antics at the end of the game shouldn’t take away from the Pacers’ big-time victory.
Let’s take a look at two studs and one dud from the Pacers’ 133-131 win over the Celtics on Monday night.
Stud – Three-point shooters (Mathurin, Hield, Nesmith)
There were too many players to pick just one for this spot on the list. Benedict Mathurin, Buddy Hield, and Aaron Nesmith all came in clutch in the second half for the Pacers, and they did most of their damage from behind the three-point line.
Boston was up by nine points going into halftime, but as the third quarter began, Nesmith drilled some huge threes to help keep Indiana in the game.
Hield’s shot-making came in clutch later in the quarter, helping tie things up and bring the Pacers ahead after the Celtics controlled the game for much, if not all, of the first half.
And as for Mathurin, he was the shot-maker of the evening, nailing contested threes and the two free throws that eventually sealed the win for the Pacers after a foul by Kristaps Porzingis.
3 Studs from Indiana Pacers monster victory over Atlanta Hawks
3 Studs from Indiana Pacers monster victory over Atlanta Hawks
The Indiana Pacers’ winning ways continued on Friday night as they absolutely rolled the Atlanta Hawks, winning by an impressive final score of 150-116.
Despite Dejounte Murray’s 30 points, which come at a time when his name is being tossed around in trade rumors, the Pacers’ offense was too much for Atlanta’s lackluster defense to handle.
Perhaps most impressively, however, was the fact that Indiana dished out 50 assists on 60 made baskets – just three short of an NBA record. They shot 63.8% from the field and 48.7% from behind the three-point line.
Normally, we roll with two studs and one dud, but this game was absolutely incredible, so we’re going to ditch the negativity. Here are three studs from the Pacers’ monster win over the Hawks.
Stud – TJ McConnell
Assists are going to be the leading story of the night, so it’s tough not to include TJ McConnell on the list of the top players from Friday night, as he absolutely showed out in that area.
McConnell ended the game with 10 points, three rebounds, 10 assists, and three steals in 22:48 of action off the pine. He shot an efficient 5-of-6 from the field, too.
Having a veteran like McConnell coming off the bench is a huge advantage for the Pacers. He’s someone who can slow the game down and get everyone involved without all the drama of being desperate for his own looks.
Before the season, head coach Rick Carlisle spoke about how McConnell might not be in the rotation, but it’s looking like that idea ended pretty quickly.
Jayson Tatum sends message on Tyrese Haliburton after Celtics clobber Pacers
Jayson Tatum sends message on Tyrese Haliburton after Celtics clobber Pacers
By Jack Simone
The Indiana Pacers have been putting together a solid season, exceeding most of the expectations set for them heading into the year. They have a real shot to earn a playoff spot.
Tyrese Haliburton has been incredible this season, especially as a playmaker. He’s put up multiple 20-assist games this year and is the driving force of almost every Pacers win.
Unfortunately, Indiana’s hot stretch of play came to an abrupt end on Saturday night, as they got whomped by the Boston Celtics by a score of 118-101.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each put up 30-point games, and there was nothing the Pacers could do to slow him down. Despite a third-quarter run, Indiana wasn’t able to keep up.
After the game, however, Tatum still found time to praise the Pacers and, more specifically, Haliburton. He emphasized the importance of focusing against Indiana and how Haliburton is the undeniable leader of the squad.
“You really gotta lock in,” Tatum said. “This is a really good team. They’ve been playing really well. They just play with so much energy, and Tyrese is the head of that snake. How much space and pace that they play with. How unselfish they are. They never really hold it. They just keep moving. You never can relax.”
Haliburton’s dominance was unfortunately cut short against the Celtics, as his 11-game streak of putting up at least 10 assists ended. Boston slowed him down and mitigated his impact.
The Pacers star ended the game with 17 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and five steals but shot just 5-of-17 from the field and 2-of-9 from behind the three-point line.
And on the defensive end, Brown was getting whatever he wanted in the paint, as he was able to drive right through Haliburton without much resistance.
That said, it’s clear that Tatum respects Haliburton and the Pacers, which makes sense, considering Indiana took down Boston in the Play-In Tournament with a 10-point win.
The Pacers still have some kinks to iron out before the playoffs come around, but if Tatum and the Celtics – the best team in the NBA – have good things to say about them, they’re obviously doing something right.
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