The Good: The defense was much improved. Without their best defensive player, the Pacers defended well all night. The Celtics only shot 44-percent from the field and were forced to settle for many contested mid-range jump shots.
Jeff Teague (with some help from Myles Turner) harassed Isaiah Thomas all night, holding him to 4 of 13 from the field. Unfortunately, the Pacers couldn’t keep Thomas or the rest of the Celtics off the foul line.
The Bad: The shooting. Also the fouling. But the shooting, mostly. The Pacers probably played well enough to win against the Celtics (who were also short-handed), but their 42-percent shooting performance doomed their prospects.