NBA: Pascal Siakam's floater lifts Pacers past Celtics

Pascal Siakam scored a go-ahead basket with 6.8 seconds left on Monday night, leading the Indiana Pacers to a 98-96 victory over the Boston Celtics in Indianapolis.

Siakam finished with 21 points, eight rebounds, and six assists, while Jay Huff added 20 points and Andrew Nembhard contributed 13 points and nine assists. Jarace Walker also chipped in 11 points off the bench as the Pacers extended their winning streak to three games, a season high.

For Boston, Payton Pritchard led the way with 23 points, followed by Derrick White with 18 and Anfernee Simons with 16. Neemias Queta added 15 points for the Celtics, who have lost three of their last four games.

After trailing by three at halftime, Indiana opened the second half with an 8-0 run and took a 61-56 lead on Huff’s 3-pointer with 8:25 remaining in the third quarter. The lead grew to 13 on Nembhard’s 3-pointer at the 4:43 mark, but Boston responded with a 17-6 run to close the quarter. Luka Garza’s mid-range jumper brought the Celtics within 79-77 entering the fourth.

Jordan Walsh’s dunk and White’s 3-pointer cut Boston’s deficit to 91-90 with 4:52 left. Siakam’s putback layup later gave the Pacers a five-point lead, but Pritchard’s three-pointer brought Boston within 96-94 with 2:16 remaining. White tied the game with a layup at 29.1 seconds, setting up Siakam’s game-winning floater off the glass. White missed a final 3-point attempt as time expired.

Earlier, neither team led by more than four points until White scored four straight points to spark an 8-0 Boston run, giving the Celtics a 24-17 lead. Micah Potter’s basket trimmed Indiana’s deficit to five by the second quarter.

Walker’s 3-pointer tied the game at 38 apiece with 7:32 left in the second quarter. Siakam’s three-point play and Huff’s dunk later pushed the Pacers ahead 46-43, forcing a Boston timeout. After Pritchard’s layup gave the Celtics a three-point lead, Siakam’s basket cut the halftime deficit to 56-53.

—Field Level Media/Reuters