The Celtics host the Indiana Pacers for the second time in just a few days. This is a rematch of the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, which the Celtics won. This is the third and final game between these two teams this season. The Celtics lost the first game in overtime 135-132 at Indiana. They defeated the Pacers 142-105 on Friday in Boston. The Pacers were playing in their second consecutive game and therefore the Celtics may need to be prepared for more energy from Indiana in this game.

The Celtics won the series 3 games to 2 last season. They played an extra game as they played in the knockout round of the regular-season tournament, which the Pacers won. The Celtics won the two games in Boston and one of the three games in Indiana, while the Pacers won two games in Indiana. The Celtics are 110-86 overall in all games against the Pacers. They have a record of 69-28 in games in Boston.

The Celtics are in 2nd place 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 third-place Knicks, who have also won 6 games in a row. The Celtics are 12-5 at home and have already lost one more game at home than they did all of last season. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are 21-6 against Eastern Conference teams and looking to win their second straight game.

The Pacers are in 8th place in the East. They are 12.5 games behind first-place Cleveland and 8.5 games behind second-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 five straight games before losing back-to-back to the Thunder and Celtics.

The Christmas Day loss to the 76ers was the first game of a four-game home series. This game against the Pacers is the second of two straight games against them and the third game at home. The last home game will be against Toronto. They then embark on a 4-game Western road trip through Minnesota, Houston (and Ime Udoka), Oklahoma City and Denver. They return home to face two more Western teams: Sacramento and New Orleans. They then travel to Toronto before playing at home against Orlando and Atlanta.

The Pacers had Christmas Day off, but hosted the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday and faced the Celtics head-to-head on Friday. The Pacers then alternate home and away games while hosting Milwaukee and playing in Miami. Then host Phoenix and then play in Brooklyn. Then 2 home games against Chicago and Golden State. Afterwards there is a home game and a home series against Cleveland.

Jrue Holiday missed Friday’s game against the Pacers. Holiday has missed two straight games with a right shoulder injury and is questionable for this game. I expect Holiday to be back for this game, but if he can’t play, Sam Hauser could start again. Kristaps Porzingis also missed his second straight contest on Sunday with a sprained left ankle and is questionable for this game. If he is unable to play, Al Horford will likely start in his place.

The Pacers have Isaiah Jackson out for the season after tearing his Achilles in a game in early November. James Wiseman is also out for the season after undergoing surgery on his torn Achilles tendon in October. Former Celtic Aaron Nesmith sprained his left ankle against the Pelicans on November 1st. He is still weeks away from being cleared for contact and will therefore miss this game against his former team. Benedict Mathurin started in place of Nesmith. Obi Toppin missed Friday’s game and is questionable for this game with a sprained ankle. Andrew Nembhard missed Friday’s game but is not currently on the injured list.

Likely Celtics starters

Celtics reserves
Luke Kornet
Payton Pritchard
Neemias Queta
Baylor Scheierman
Jaden Springer
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Sam Hauser

2-way player
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anthony Watson

Injuries/losses
Jrue Holiday (shoulder) questionable
Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) questionable

Head coach
Joe Mazzulla

Likely Pacers starters

Pacers reserves
Thomas Bryant
Johnny Furphy
James Johnson
TJ McConnell
Ben Sheppard
Jarace Walker

2-way player
Enrique Freeman
Quenton Jackson
Tristen Newton

Injuries/losses
Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) is out
Aaron Nesmith (ankle) is out
James Wiseman (Achilles) is out
Obi Toppin (ankle) questionable

Head coach
Rich Carlisle

Key Matches

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 distance. Over his career, Siakam averaged 17.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game against the Celtics. On Friday, Siakam finished the game with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal while shooting 45.5% from the field and 50.3% from distance. The Celtics need to defend him closely and limit his scoring.

Jrue Holiday vs. Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton is averaging 17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He shoots 43.1% from the field and 35.3% from distance. Over his career with the Celtics, Haliburton averaged 18.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 1.6 steals. On Friday, he finished the game with 19 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists while shooting 45.2% from the field and 37.5% from distance. The Celtics need to defend Haliburton from both the pass and the shot. Holiday is questionable for this game, so Derrick White could start at 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 shoots 45.3% from the field and 35.9% from distance. During his career against the Celtics, he averaged 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists. On Friday, he finished the game with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 46.2% from the field and 50% from distance. Jaylen Brown had a great game on Friday and hopefully he can pick up where he left off in this game.

Key to the game
defense – Defense is the key to winning every single game. The Pacers weren’t as dangerous to score as they were last season. They average 114.4 points per game (11th) while the Celtics average 119.6 points per game (3rd). The Celtics rank 7th in the league with a defensive rating of 109.7. The Pacers rank 23rd with a defensive rating of 115.4. The Celtics must make defense their identity and priority. Most of their losses this season have come from a lack of consistent defensive performance. The Celtics will need to play strong defense to prevent the Pacers from breaking out and scoring easy points on the break.

rebound – The Celtics are fifth in the league with 45.5 rebounds per game. The Pacers rank 28th with 40.8 rebounds per game. It’s important for the Celtics to rebound the ball to gain more possession and prevent the Pacers from getting the same second-chance points. The Celtics haven’t done as well in rebounding as they did last season, largely due to their performance, but on Friday the Celtics outrebounded the Pacers 52-39. A lot of rebounding is desire and effort, and the Celtics will have to put in even more effort to grab rebounds.

Maximum effort for 48 minutes – The Celtics face one of their toughest opponents from last season’s playoffs. There’s a good chance you’ll see them in the playoffs at some point this season. The Celtics’ performance in their two most recent losses has been good at times, not so good at times. The Celtics have to play harder and give more effort than the Pacers. The Celtics must exert maximum effort on the boards and on defense, searching for loose balls and forcing turnovers throughout the entire game, not just two quarters.

Be consistent – The Celtics can’t settle for a big win on Friday. They performed well and played hard on both sides in this game, but if they let up in this game, all that effort really amounted to nothing. Joe Mazzula mentioned the lack of consistency after the loss to the 76ers on Christmas Day. The Celtics have to deliver 100% performance in every game.

X factors
Home game – The Celtics only lost 4 home games all of last season. They have already lost 5 this season. . The Celtics need to protect their home field and use the crowd support as motivation. The Pacers will have to deal with travel, hotel stays and playing on an unfamiliar field and in front of hostile fans. The Celtics need to use their home game to their advantage and fight hard for the win in this game.

Injuries – The Celtics may be without Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. It goes without saying that things will be more difficult without one or both of these players. Hopefully both can play. If they can’t play, Al Horford, Luke Kornet, Sam Hauser and Payton Pritchard will have more minutes and will have to pick up the slack. The Pacers are also missing Aaron Nesmith, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, and Obi Toppin is questionable.

Officiating -Official action is always an important factor. Each team calls the play a little differently, some call it “tight” and others let it play. In recent games we have seen some very poor refereeing and some confusing decisions. The Celtics need to adjust to the flow of the game and focus on the game and not the referees.

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