BSJ Live Coverage: Celtics 41, Pacers 56 (3:17 2nd) - Indy hot, Boston not

BOSTON CELTICS (17-11) vs INDIANA PACERS (6-22)

Regular season game 29

TD Garden, 7:30 p.m. - NBCS Boston

SCHEDULE ADVANTAGE: Indiana. Celtics are playing their third game in four nights, with all three nights in different cities. Indiana is playing every other night. 

Indiana has lost four in a row. The Celtics have won two in a row.

INJURIES

Boston: Jordan Walsh (QUESTIONABLE-Illness), Jayson Tatum (OUT-Achilles) 

Indiana: TJ McConnell (OUT-knee), Aaron Nesmith (OUT-knee), Ben Sheppard (OUT-calf), Obi Toppin (OUT-foot), Tyrese Haliburton (OUT-Achilles)

OFFICIALS

Kevin Scott (#24)    Nate Green (#41)    Simone Jelks (#81)

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Rebounding: I know it might seem like a cop out to put rebounding in here because we all know rebounding is an issue, but the Pacers miss a lot of shots and clearing those rebounds will give Boston a chance to string together some runs to put this game away early. 

2. Clamping Pascal Siakam: Whether it’s Walsh, Josh Minott, or Hugo Gonzalez, I want to see Siakam picked up full court and hounded the whole game. He’s their primary scorer, and if he can be shut down, then it’ll be hard for the Pacers to keep up with Boston’s offense. 

3. Don’t let them get hot from 3: Like I said before, they miss a lot of shots. They are last in field goal percentage and 3-point percentage, but they shot 38% or better from deep in four of their six wins. They can hit close to 20 3-pointers if they get confident, and Boston’s defense definitely allows teams to get some decent looks from deep. 

The key is to get solid contests and not just give up dare shots. That will be an easy way to get locked in a tougher-than-expected battle. Going small against this Pacers team and switching a lot might be the answer. 

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.