The Celtics look to get back on track after suffering their first 2 game losing streak of the season as they host the Indiana Pacers. This is a rematch of the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals that the Celtics swept. This is the 2nd of 3 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics lost the first game 135-132 in Overtime in Indiana. They will meet for the 3rd and final time in 2 days on December 29 in Boston.
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 109-86 overall all time in games against the Pacers. They are 68-28 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 5 games. They are just 2 games ahead of the 3rd place Knicks, who have also won 5 straight games. The Celtics are 11-5 at home, already losing 1 more game at home than they did all last season. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games and 1-3 in their last 4 games. They are 20-5 against Eastern Conference teams and have lost their last 2 games.
The Pacers are in 8th place in the East. They are 11.5 games behind 1st place Cleveland and 7.5 games behind 2nd place Boston. They are 1 game behind the Heat, who are in 6th place. They are 2.5 games ahead of 11th place Philadelphia. The Pacers are 7-11 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 8-12 against Eastern Conference opponents. They had won 5 games in a row before Thursday’s loss to the Thunder.
The Christmas Day loss to the 76ers was the first game of a 4 game home stand. This game against Indiana is the first of two games against them in a row. They will face off again on Sunday in Boston. 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, Ime Udoka’s Houston Rockets, 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. This game is the second of back to back games and the Pacers are 1-3 in the second of back to back games. After this game, these two teams face off again on Sunday, also in Boston. 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.
After being listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game, both Derick White (hamstring) and Jayson Tatum (illness) both played against the 76ers. Jrue Holiday missed Wednesday’s game and is out for this game due to a right shoulder impingement. Kristaps Porzingis left Wednesday’s game with a sprained ankle and is also out for this game. I’m guessing that Horford starts at the 4 and Tatum moves to the 3 and Luke Kornet starts at center. Just a guess
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 (ankle) and Andrew Nembhard (knee) are both out for this game. I don’t know who will start in Nembhard’s place.
Probable Celtics Starters
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Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Nehemiah 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) out
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Pacers Starters
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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) out
Andrew Nembhard (knee) out
Head Coach
Rich Carlisle
Key Matchups
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Jayson Tatum vs Pascal Siakam
Siakam is averaging 20.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 52.4% from the field and 42.0% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, Siakam finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists while shooting 55% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to get back to their defensive identity and play better defense on him in this game.
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Jrue Holiday vs Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton is averaging 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 43.2% from the field and 35.5% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics, he finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists and 2 steals, while shooting 36.8% from the field and 20% 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 16.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. He is shooting 45.5% from the field and 35.5% from beyond the arc. In the first game against the Celtics he came off the bench and finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 52.9% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc.
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 114.8 points per game (11th) while the Celtics are averaging 118.9points per game (4th). The Celtics are 8th in the league with a defensive rating of 109.7. The Pacers are 20th with a defensive rating of 114.3. 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 7th in the league, pulling down 45.3 rebounds per game. The Pacers are 29th with 40.6 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. Much of rebounding is desire and effort and the Celtics have got to put out more effort on the boards if they want to get back to winning on a consistent basis.
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 last 2 games 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.
Move the Ball – The Celtics are tough to beat when they keep the ball moving and they make the extra pass to find the best shot. They struggle when they lapse into iso ball and when players hold the ball too long. The Pacers move the ball very well. They need to find the open man for the best shot and not just throw up the first shot and not dribbling the air out of the ball while time ticks off the shot clock. If the 3s aren’t falling, they need to drive to the basket. 3’s are great and give you an extra point and all, but if they don’t go in, 2 points are better than none.
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 and Fatigue – 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, and Payton Pritchard will see more minutes and need to pick up the slack. The Pacers are playing on the second night of back to back games and had to travel after Thursday’s game. Fatigue may become a factor for them down the stretch.
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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