The Celtics host the Indiana Pacers for the 2nd time in as many days. This is a rematch of the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals that the Celtics swept. This is the 3rd and final game between these two teams this season. The Celtics lost the first game 135-132 in Overtime in Indiana. They beat the Pacers 142-105 on Friday in Boston. The Pacers were playing in the second of back to back games and so the Celtics may need to be ready for more energy from Indiana in this one.
The Celtics won the series last season 3 games to 2. They played an extra game due to playing in the knock out round of the in season tournament, which the Pacers won. The Celtics won the 2 games in Boston and one of the 3 games in Indiana, while the Pacers won 2 games in Indiana. The Celtics are 110-86 overall all time in games against the Pacers. They are 69-28 in games played in Boston.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4 games behind the first place Cleveland Cavaliers, who have won their last 6 games. They are just 2 games ahead of the 3rd place Knicks, who have also won 6 straight games. The Celtics are 12-5 at home, already losing 1 more game at home than they did all last season. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 21-6 against Eastern Conference teams and are looking to win their second straight game.
The Pacers are in 8th place in the East. They are 12.5 games behind 1st place Cleveland and 8.5 games behind 2nd place Boston. They are 1.5 games behind the Heat, who are in 7th place. They are 2 games ahead of 11th place Philadelphia. The Pacers are 7-12 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 8-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. They had won 5 games in a row before losses to the Thunder and Celtics back to back.
The Christmas Day loss to the 76ers was the first game of a 4 game home stand. This game against the Pacers is the second of two games against them in a row and the 3rd game of the home stand. The final game of the home stand will be against Toronto. They will then head out on a 4 game Western road trip through Minnesota, Houston (and Ime Udoka), Oklahoma City and Denver. They will return home to face 2 more Western teams, Sacramento and New Orleans. They then head to Toronto before facing Orlando and Atlanta at home.
The Pacers were off on Christmas Day but hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday and the Friday, back to back, they faced the Celtics. The Pacers then alternate home and road games as they host Milwaukee and play at Miami. Then host Phoenix and then play at Brooklyn. Then 2 games at home vs Chicago and Golden State. Following that, they have a home and home series against Cleveland.
Jrue Holiday missed Friday’s game against the Pacers. Holiday has missed back-to-back games with a right shoulder impingement and is questionable for this game. I’m guessing that Holiday will be back for this game but if he isn’t able to play, Sam Hauser may once again start. Kristaps Porzingis also missed his second straight contest Sunday due to a left ankle sprain and is questionable for this game. If he is unable to play, Al Horford will likely start in his place.
For the Pacers, Isaiah Jackson is out for the season after tearing his Achilles in a game in early November. James Wiseman is also out for the season after having surgery on his torn Achilles tendon in October. Former Celtic Aaron Nesmith sprained his left ankle against the Pelicans on Nov. 1. He is still weeks away from being cleared for contact and so will miss this game against his former team. Benedict Mathurin has been starting in place of Nesmith. Obi Toppin missed Friday’s game and is questionable for this game with an ankle sprain. Andrew Nembhard missed Friday’s game but is not on the injury list at this time.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Sam Hauser
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Jrue Holiday (shoulder) questionable
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Pacers Starters
Pacers Reserves
Thomas Bryant
Johnny Furphy
James Johnson
TJ McConnell
Ben Sheppard
Jarace Walker
2-Way Players
Enrique Freeman
Quenton Jackson
Tristen Newton
Injuries/Out
Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) out
Aaron Nesmith (ankle) out
James Wiseman (Achilles) out
Obi Toppin (ankle) questionable
Head Coach
Rich Carlisle
Key Matchups
Jayson Tatum vs Pascal Siakam
Siakam is averaging 19.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 52.1% from the field and 43.8% from beyond the arc. Over his career, Siakam has averaged 17.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game against the Celtics. On Friday, Siakam finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal while shooting 45.5% from the field and 50.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him closely and limit his scoring.
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Elsa/Getty Images
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Tyrese Haliburton
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton is averaging 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 43.1% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, Haliburton is averaging 18.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.6 steals. On Friday, he finished with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists while shooting 45.2% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend Haliburton for the pass as well as the shot. Holiday is questionable for this game so it may be Derrick White starting at the point if he can’t play.
Honorable Mention
Jaylen Brown vs Benedict Mathurin
Mathurin is averaging 16.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He is shooting 45.3% from the field and 35.9% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he averaged 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. On Friday, he finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 46.2% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. Jaylen Brown had a huge game on Friday, and hopefully he can pick up where he left off in that game.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is the key to winning every single game. The Pacers haven’t been the scoring juggernaut they were last season. They are averaging 114.4 points per game (11th) while the Celtics are averaging 119.6 points per game (3rd). The Celtics are 7th in the league with a defensive rating of 109.7. The Pacers are 23rd with a defensive rating of 115.4. The Celtics need to make defense their identity and their priority. Most of their losses this season can be traced to a lack of consistent effort on the defensive end. The Celtics have to play tough defense to prevent the Pacers from getting out on the break and scoring easy points.
Rebound – The Celtics are 5th in the league, pulling down 45.5 rebounds per game. The Pacers are 28th with 40.8 rebounds per game. It is important for the Celtics to rebound the ball to give themselves extra possessions and to prevent the Pacers from getting the same along with 2nd chance points. The Celtics have not been rebounding as well as they did last season, which mostly comes down to effort but on Friday, the Celtics out-rebounded the Pacers 52-39. Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics have got to once again put out more effort to grab rebounds.
Maximum Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics are facing one of their toughest opponents from last season’s playoffs. There is a good possibility that they will see them in the playoffs at some point this season. The Celtics effort in their 2 recent losses was good at times and not so good at other times. The Celtics need to play harder and give more effort than the Pacers. The Celtics have to give maximum effort on the boards and on defense and in diving for loose balls and forcing turnovers, and they have to give that effort for the entire game and not just 2 quarters.
Be Consistent – The Celtics can’t be content with getting a big win on Friday. They showed good effort and played hard on both ends in that game, but if they let up in this game, all that effort really accomplished nothing. Joe Mazzula mentioned the lack of consistency after the loss to the 76ers on Christmas Day. The Celtics have to get back to giving 100% effort in every game.
X-Factors
Home Game – The Celtics lost just 4 home games all last season. They have already lost 5 this season. . The Celtics need to protect home court and use the crowd support for motivation. The Pacers have to deal with travel and staying in hotels and playing on an unfamiliar court and in front of hostile fans. The Celtics need to use home court to their advantage and fight hard for a win in this game.
Injuries – The Celtics may be without Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. It goes without saying that it will be tougher without one or both of those players. Hopefully they both can play. If they can’t play, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard will see more minutes and need to pick up the slack. The Pacers also have Aaron Nesmith, Isaiah Jackson, and James Wiseman out and Obi Toppin is questionable.
Officiating -Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. In recent games, we have seen some very bad officiating and some head scratching calls. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.
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