Pacers Face Another Tough Test In Boston
(Sports Network) - The Indiana Pacers aim to complete am impressive back-to- back sweep of the NBA's two best teams Wednesday when the club arrives in Beantown to take on the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden.The Pacers earned an improbable 118-117 win over the LA Lakers in Indianapolis Tuesday when Troy Murphy's tip-in at the buzzer capped Indiana's 16-point fourth-quarter come-from-behind win against the red-hot Lakers at Conseco Fieldhouse. Danny Granger led the Pacers with 32 points, while Murphy finished with a solid 16-point, 17-rebound effort for Indiana, which had lost two straight and five of six coming into the game. T.J. Ford logged 21 points, while Rasho Nesterovic and Marquis Daniels added 16 points as the Pacers snapped LA's seven-game winning streak and gave the team its first road loss of the season. "A win is a win but this was special," Nesterovic said. "We were down a bunch of points and were able to come back, stay in our game plan, execute making open shots and getting some stops." Things will get no easier for the Pacers tonight as Boston, which is 10-1 at home this season, shoots for its 10th straight win. After tonight's game, Indiana will then visit Cleveland (14-3) on Friday before a rematch with the Celtics on Sunday in Indianapolis. Paul Pierce scored 17 of his team-high 24 points in the third quarter, as the Celtics rolled to their ninth straight win by routing Orlando, 107-88, in Boston on Monday. Ray Allen scored 21 points, Rajon Rondo netted 16 points and 12 assists, and Kevin Garnett posted 15 points and nine rebounds for Boston, which moved to a gaudy 17-2 this season. Indiana handed the Celtics one of their two losses this season, a 95-79 thumping in Indy on November 1, but Boston has won five of the last six matchups with the Pacers at TD Banknorth Garden.
Copyright 2008 Courtesy of The Sports Network.






