Final: Celtics 129, Pacers 124 - Celtics blow 20 point lead but survive

BOSTON CELTICS vs. INDIANA PACERS

7:30 p.m. TNT/NBCS Boston

Line: Boston -7.5

INJURIES

Boston: Kristaps Porzingis (QUESTIONABLE, ankle), Al Horford (OUT, neck), Luke Kornet (DOUBTFUL, hamstring)

Indiana: Tyrese Haliburton (QUESTIONABLE, hamstring), Benedict Mathurin (QUESTIONABLE, toe), Jalen Smith (QUESTIONABLE, back), TJ McConnell (OUT, illness), Myles Turner (QUESTIONABLE, back), 

NOTES

- This will be the fifth meeting between the Pacers and Celtics

- Indiana has won three straight games after a stretch of five losses in six games. 

LAST TIME

Pacers 133, Celtics 131 - January 8: Jaylen Brown came out playing amazing basketball, but some tough defensive breakdowns and a blistering start by Mathurin limited Boston’s lead to just one after the first. They went back and forth for most of the second quarter but Boston closed the half on a 20-9 run, which included Indy losing Haliburton to an injury. McConnell took advantage of the opportunity, putting up 13 points and 3 assists in a 44 point third. The Celtics fought back in the fourth and took a brief lead, but a foul on Porzingis with less than a second to go gave the Pacers free throws to win the game. 

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Dictate the pace: The Pacers like to play fast, and the Celtics are at their best when they do the same. But they can’t get caught up in out-pacing the Pacers. The Celtics have run into problems against Indiana by playing too fast and getting out of control. They have to know what their speed is and play to that. Let the Pacers get haphazard and make mistakes.

2. Test Haliburton: He’s coming off the hamstring injury suffered against Boston (he came back for a game in the middle of the recovery, but then missed five more). Go at him and see how his leg and his wind hold up. Put him in early actions and hit him with picks. Make him feel some physical defense and make him work defensively. Get him huffing and puffing. 

3. Consistency: We’ve seen some inconsistent play lately, and this is where it gets tougher to find that steadiness we’re looking for. The defensive effort has to be there from the start so they can fight through whatever rough offensive patches they might hit. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.