FINAL: Celtics 119, Pacers 104 - Celtics earn well-rounded bounce-back win

BOSTON CELTICS (26-16) vs. INDIANA PACERS (10-34)

Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA

Game time: 7:30 p.m.

TV: NBC Sports Boston

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub

Celtics injury report:

• Jaylen Brown - AVAILABLE (left hamstring tightness)

• Josh Minott - OUT (left ankle sprain)

• Jayson Tatum - OUT (right Achilles repair)

• Ron Harper J. - AVAILABLE (G League, two-way)

• Amari Williams - AVAILABLE (G League two-way)

• Max Shulga - AVAILABLE (G League, two-way)

Pacers injury report:

• Bennedict Mathurin - OUT (right thumb sprain)

• Obi Toppin - OUT (right foot stress fracture)

• Tyrese Haliburton - OUT (right Achilles tendon tear)

• Taelon Peter - DOUBTFUL (G League, two-way)

• Ethan Thompson - DOUBTFUL (G League, two-way)

Mid-game injury update: Brown went back to the locker room after his first sub of the game (4:27). He has since returned to the bench, and there were no injury updates provided by the team.

Update: Jaylen Brown was upgraded to available to play approximately one hour prior to tip-off.

What to watch for: It’s redemption time for the Boston Celtics. The Indiana Pacers may only have 10 wins on the season, but one of those was against the Celtics last Monday. Boston walked into Indianapolis without Jaylen Brown, and that proved to be their downfall.

Outside of the revenge plot, there isn’t much to break down about this type of matchup. Andrew Nembhard is always a potential sparkplug, and Pascal Siakam has a history of playing well against the Celtics, but Boston simply has more talent than this Pacers squad.

After a tough loss in Detroit on Monday, this should provide the Celtics with a perfect bounce-back opportunity. And if Brown ends up missing a second straight against the Pacers, then Derrick White and Payton Pritchard will have yet another chance to show off their ability to run an offense.

Tale of the tape: This will mark the fourth and final time these two teams have squared off this season, and all of the matchups have occurred within the last month.

On December 22 and December 26, they played two straight games against each other. The first saw Boston go down by 20 points in the third quarter, only for Brown to lead them on a fourth-quarter march, securing a comeback victory. The matchup on the 26th was far less interesting, as the Celtics won in blowout fashion.

The third was the aforementioned Brown-less disaster just over a week ago. Neither team hit the 100-point mark, but Siakam and Jay Huff led Indiana to an upset victory as White’s game-winner attempt was off the mark.

Last game: Boston’s last game was a heartbreaker at Little Caesars Arena. The Detroit Pistons, the top seed in the East, blended physicality with transition dominance to beat the Celtics.

Early foul trouble for Luka Garza meant Joe Mazzulla had to get creative with lineups for a chunk of the second quarter, and considering how effective the pick-and-roll was, that wasn’t ideal.

Brown had a chance to win the game at the buzzer in the fourth, but he just missed. Detroit’s physicality knocked Boston out of its rhythm just long enough to hold on for a 104-103 win.

“I think that's where the game is in general," Mazzulla said pre-game on Wednesday when asked about the Celtics being tested with physicality lately. "I mean, I think, over those games, I think we've been just as [physical]. I think it's just kind of where the game is. I think it's in a good place from that standpoint. I think, [from that] standpoint, I think you kind of saw that in the Detroit game. I know both teams are physical. It obviously looks different from some teams.

"We’ve played bigger teams [lately] as well. San Antonio plays double big, Detroit, double big. Denver plays big [a lot of the] time. So, we've played bigger teams. But, I mean, I think that's just where the league is at. I think it's in a good place, and I think we just have to maintain it throughout the season.”

Standings check-in: With their loss to the Pistons, the Celtics fell to 5.5 games back of the top seed in the conference. However, the New York Knicks haven’t been doing themselves any favors. They have lost four straight, meaning the Celtics still have a 1.5-game cushion in the two seed.

Pacers check-in: Considering how poorly the Pacers were playing at the start of the season, they have been on a hot streak lately. Including their win over the Celtics last week, they’ve won four of their last seven, though they’ve also lost three of their last four.

Siakam has been leading the charge, averaging 24.2 points over his last nine games, all while shooting 40.5% from deep (on 4.7 three-point attempts per game). However, his dominance in the mid-range is what makes him a dangerous matchup for Boston.

Nembhard has been right behind him, averaging 19.3 points and 8.4 assists (eight games) in his last eight, while Huff’s 12.0 points on 42.5% shooting from distance (4.0 attempts, 10-game sample size) has also been essential.

Former Celtic Aaron Nesmith has been ice cold as of late, but that could make for a potential slump-breaker in Boston.