Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett scored 21 points apiece, but the Boston Celtics were thoroughly defeated by the Indiana Pacers, 97-83, for the second time this season on Saturday evening at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Boston has now lost four straight games and sits at 4-6. Boston's first loss of the current losing streak also came against the Pacers, an 87-74 loss last Friday, in which the Celtics tied a franchise low with 25 first-half points in the ugly loss.
Brandon Bass scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds of the bench for Boston, which was limited to 38.6 percent shooting (32-for-83). Ray Allen scored seven, Rajon Rondo had six points and nine assists and Jermaine O'Neal had 12 rebounds to go along with three points for the Celtics.
Danny Granger scored 21 points to lead Indiana, which made 35-of-94 baskets to shoot 37.2 percent. Darren Collison and Paul George each scored 17 points and Roy Hibbert finished with 11 points and nine rebounds for the Pacers.
Indiana took a 29-24 lead after the first quarter and outscored the Celtics again in the second, 27-24. The Pacers didn't let off the gas in the second half, outscoring the C's 26-19 in the third before being outscored 16-15 in the final quarter.
Boston is off on Sunday and returns home to face the Oklahoma CIty Thunder on Monday.
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