Final: Pacers 117, Celtics 112 - C's stage huge comeback that falls short

Game 32: Celtics (-9.5) vs. Indiana Pacers, 7:30 p.m., TD Garden, NBCS Boston

Injuries: 

Boston: Danilo Gallinari, Marcus Smart (non-COVID illness) 

Indiana: Daniel Theis (knee), Kendall Brown (leg)

Pacers projected starters: Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard, Tyrese Haliburton 

Refs: Marc Davis (#8), Tyler Ford (#39), Jonathan Sterling (#17)

A little something about this game: Both teams have lost four of their last five games. The Celtics are getting Jayson Tatum back after he missed the Sunday afternoon game due to personal reasons. Nesmith makes his return to Boston after being involved in the Malcolm Brogdon trade.  

How Boston wins: Well, obviously making shots would be a great start, but what they can’t do is hang their heads if they miss because the Pacers will run off misses and turnovers. CleaningTheGlass.com, the Pacers are in the top 6 of most transition categories, so the Celtics need to not only protect the ball, but get back to prevent easy baskets. Work the ball around, get Turner involved in trying to go for blocked shots, and then spray it for good looks.

How the Pacers win: Nembhard is a prime candidate to be the guy that kills Boston tonight. He’s a rookie, so a lot of you might not have heard much of him, but he’s had some big performances this season. The Celtics falling asleep defensively and letting someone like Nembhard beat them would not be too surprising. 

Things I’m looking for:

- Tatum’s return: An extra day off and some doom and gloom surrounding the team could make this a prime opportunity for an MVP candidate to declare enough is enough and carry the team to a much-needed win. The key, though, is to do it in the flow of the offense and not try to do everything himself. 

- Back to basics: I need to see some return to form. The problems have been well documented and fixing them is not difficult. If I can see them, they can see them. They’ve had an extra day off to think about it and work on things, so it’s time to see some results. 

- Aaron Nesmith: He could be absolutely bonkers in this game, and it wouldn’t surprise me if he went 10-10 or 0-10 from deep against the Celtics. His energy level will be through the roof. I’m excited to see what he does. 

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.