Wednesday night at TD Garden, the Celtics nearly erased a 30 point deficit. However, the visiting Indiana Pacers had just enough to cross the finish line, topping the C’s 117-112.

That massive deficit was due to another slow start for the Celtics. Despite building a six-point lead in the first few minutes of the game, they were down 20 points at the end of the first quarter, and Indiana’s lead grew to 30 by halftime. Boston struggled on both ends of the floor, scoring one more point in the first half (43) than the Pacers did in the first quarter (42).

Things did start to swing in the second half, as the Celtics’ offense starting clicking. They had a 42 point quarter of their own, with 15 of those points coming from Jayson Tatum. With 12 minutes to play, the C’s had cut the margin to a very manageable 15 points.

That Celtics momentum carried over to the early part of the fourth quarter. Tatum scored another 13 points in that frame, and Indiana’s lead was cut to five. That was as close as the Celtics would get though, as the Pacers responded with a 6-0 run with two minutes to go that put the game away.

Tatum finished with a game-high 41 points. Jaylen Brown added 19 points as well as 10 rebounds for the double-double. Malcolm Brogdon scored 18 points off the bench, and Sam Hauser had 10 making him the only other Celtic in double figures.

Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton had a big night with 33 points and eight assists. He shot 12-of-24 from the floor and 6-of-13 from deep. This was his first game since former Celtic

Wally Szczerbiak goes in on Tyrese Haliburton:

"Mr. Supposed, wannabe, fake All-Star with the big miss there... Last chance, down 3 for the wannabe All-Star. He's in his 2nd year, he's a very good player. He's not gonna make the All-Star team."pic.twitter.com/exSffecp9C

— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) December 21, 2022?s=20&t=W-NJOnMWq1e02fzkOc2rHA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wally Szczerbiak called Haliburton a “supposed, wannabe, fake All-Star,” perhaps adding some motivation.

Another player on Indiana with some elevation motivation was forward Aaron Nesmith. Playing his first game in Boston since getting traded in the offseason, he had the second-highest point total on the team with 15 points, and added six rebounds.

With the loss, the Celtics fall to 22-10 on the season, with three loses in a row and five in their last six games. They’ll try to bounce back on Friday night, when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. Coverage of that one begins at 7 p.m. on 105.7 WROR and the Celtics Radio Network.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.