GAME: No. 21 of 82
WHO: Celtics (17-3) vs. Pacers (11-8)
WHEN: 8:00 EST
WHERE: Conseco Fieldhouse
RADIO: 98.5 the Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston
BOX SCORE: NBA.COM
Starting Lineups:
Celtics
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Marcus Smart
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Daniel Theis
C: Al Horford
Pacers
PG: Darren Collison
SG: Lance Stephenson
SF: Bojan Bogdanovic
PF: Thaddeus Young
C: Myles Turner
Third quarter notes
- Aron Baynes started the second half in place of Daniel Theis as the C's searched for more of a defensive presence against Indy's high-powered offense.
- Turnovers have kept the Celtics in this game in spite of the Pacers' 56 percent shooting. They have committed 15 miscues in the first 28 minutes of the game.
- Al Horford really came alive midway through the third quarter, actively looking for his offense and executing tremendously in the post. He scored 12 of his 19 points in the frame and is already at 13 shot attempts through three quarters, his highest shot total in a game since Nov. 6.
- After chipping down the Pacers nine-point deficit, the tide really turned in the final few minutes of the period. The C's went on a 12-0 run behind some terrific defense and ball movement, which capped a 37-16 edge for the C's in the frame on 78 percent shooting.
- Marcus Smart ends the quarter with a little Christian Laettner fadeaway to give the C's a 10-point lead.
First half notes
- Pacers opened the game shooting a scorching 10-of-12 from the field, as the C's did not do a good job slowing down their untempo offense.
- Celtics still showing some nice ball movement that's carried over from Friday's win against the Magic, with seven assists on their first 11 field goals.
- Lance Stephenson has been on fire over the first 12 minutes, scoring 12 points on a host of ridicullus jump shots.
- Marcus Smart had a predictable heat check ten minutes into the game after making his first three jumpers.
- Sabonis really took over the game in the second quarter, posting 11 points by taking advantage of Baynes guarding him on the perimeter and punishing the C's in mismatches.
- Some surprising big minutes for Abdel Nader (9 minutes) in the second quarter as Brad Stevens went deep into his bench with Morris and Brown sidelined. A little bit surprised that Shane Larkin (4 minutes) didn't get a longer look than him, but that probably has to do with size issues more than anything else.
- Celtics starting backcourt of Irving/Smart scored 24 of 45 points for the Celtics in the first half on 10-of-17 shooting. The rest of the roster shot 9-of-26 in the half.
Pregame Notes
- Jaylen Brown won't be with the team on Saturday night after he attended his friend's funeral in Georgia on Saturday. Marcus Smart will get the start in his place.
- Marcus Morris was left behind by the C's in Boston to rest his sore knee. Daniel Theis gets a surprise start to match up with a stretchy front line by the Pacers. He was a DNP-CD in Friday's win over the Magic.
- The Celtics will catch a break on the injury front as Pacers leading scorer Victor Oladipo will not suit up after injuring his knee Friday night.
- Look for a lot of points to be scored on Saturday night. The Pacers have the seventh-ranked offense in the NBA and also play at a top-10 pace. Nate McMillian has this group running all night long to find easy buckets, so the C's transition