The Celtics outlasted the Pacers, 118-101 Saturday night in a matchup between two of the best teams in the Eastern conference. It was messy, but Boston delivered a professional performance to gain an important win.
With seven minutes left in the first, Kristaps Porzingis went down with an eye injury after former Celtic Aaron Nesmith hit him in the face. The score was 8-5 Boston.
Porzingis returned less than three minutes later, for roughly thirty seconds. He didn’t return after that. His injury seemed to energize the squad, turning a brutal shooting start into a 21-12 run to close the quarter at 29-17.