Indiana Pacers v Boston Celtics Preview
The Indiana Pacers (39-25) return home after a five game road trip to host the Boston Celtics (42-21) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Tuesday.
The Pacers brought some momentum back home with them after winning four out of five games during their road trip, with the lone loss coming to the Milwaukee Bucks, the top team in the East. Indiana will hope to carry that momentum forward, as three of their next four games come against teams in the top 6 of the Eastern conference.
One of those teams is Boston, sitting 3.5 games ahead of Indiana in the standings coming heading into Tuesday night's matchup. The Pacers lead the season series with the Celtics 1-0 thanks to a 122-117 win in Indianapolis back in December. Another win over Boston would go a long way in helping Indiana secure home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
The first matchup between Indiana and Boston was a duel between point guards Malcolm Brogdon and Kemba Walker. Brogdon led the Pacers to victory with 29 points and eight assists, while Walker torched the Pacers defense for 44 points on 16-28 shooting, including seven shots from beyond the arc.
With Brogdon currently sidelined with a knee injury, Indiana will be forced to look elsewhere for leadership in this matchup, and the likely candidate is guard Victor Oladipo. Since coming to the Pacers, Oladipo is 3-2 against the Celtics while averaging 28.2 points in those five games. Oladipo did not play in the playoffs against Boston when the Celtics swept the Pacers.
Boston forward Jayson Tatum will require extra attention from the Pacers defense after a white-hot February in which he averaged 30.7 points and shot 48.1% from three-point range, while also earning Player of the Month honors for the Eastern Conference. Tatum struggled against the Pacers in December, scoring 16 points on 4-13 shooting, but Indiana should expect him to play at a much higher level this time around.
Injuries still remain an issue for Indiana, as Brogdon, Doug McDermott and Jeremy Lamb are all listed as out for Tuesday night's game, while Oladipo remains listed as questionable as he continues to battle knee soreness. One positive on the injury front for Indiana is that forward TJ Warren made his way off of the injury report and into the lineup for Sunday's matchup with the Dallas Mavericks and remains available to play. Versatile wing Jaylen Brown will not play for Boston due to a hamstring injury.
The Celtics come to Indiana having struggled of late, losing four of their last five games, including two losses by just one point. Boston will hope to right the ship while Indiana is looking to continue its hot play as the standings tighten up and the season comes to a close.