Al Horford described the lineup he was on the floor with in the closing moments of Boston’s game at Indiana as being “the defensive back lineup and me as the safety.”
“We just … were poised for something to happen,” Horford told reporters.
Oh, something happened alright as the Celtics pulled off an improbable 112-111 win over the Pacers, in what has been a season full of unprecedented success under Brad Stevens now in his fifth season in Boston.
Terry Rozier’s steal in the closing seconds, followed by a dunk with 1.6 seconds to play would prove to be the difference in Boston’s victory which improved upon their Eastern Conference-leading record which now stands at 26-7.
“He made a huge play. I’m very proud of the group,” Horford said.
And that pride was evident in how the players reacted afterward, showing a level of excitement and exuberance following a victory that we have not seen this season.
That’s because this win was anything but a typical victory for the Celtics, even in a season when success has come in a multitude of ways.
Boston Celtics
“We had a lot of quick guys on the floor,” Stevens said. “And we’re usually a hard team to in-bounds against and reverse against. We got fortunate; Terry made a great play.”
Stevens added, “sometimes it’s just a random game where things work out in your favor. We all try to analyze it. I think we got lucky in a lot of ways. But we stayed in the play. We played really hard and gave ourselves a chance.”
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s 112-111 buzzer-beating win over the Indiana Pacers.
STARS
Kyrie Irving
When it was winning time, Kyrie Irving did all he could to position the Celtics to rally for what was one of the most improbable wins they have had this season. Irving led Boston with 30 points on 12-for-23 shooting.
Victor Oladipo
Oladipo continues to play at an All-Star level. He led all scorers with 38 points, doing so on an efficient 13-for-23 shooting.
Terry Rozier
Even before his game-winning dunk, Rozier was having a solid game for the Celtics. In addition to playing good defense, he had nine points, four rebounds and a pair of steals.
STUDS
Al Horford
Mr. Almost triple-double, aka Al Horford was at it again. He was once again filling the stat sheet in several categories. He had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, but also had nine assists.
Domantas Sabonis
Coming off the Pacers bench, Sabonis had 18 points to go with seven rebounds.
Jayson Tatum
Tatum had a couple of poster-worthy dunks against the Pacers, but his strong play was about more than just dunking the ball. He had 16 points on 6-for-8 shooting with five rebounds and four assists.
DUDS
Myles Turner
There was some uncertainty as to whether he would play tonight. And after the game, that question still lingers. Turner was on the floor for just under 27 minutes, scoring two points on 2-for-6 shooting from the free throw line while missing all three of his shots from the field.