The Boston Celtics (36-26, 30-30-2 ATS) wrap up their two-game road trip tonight against the Indiana Pacers (20-41, 28-31-2 ATS). Boston has won two games in a row since the All-Star break, while the Pacers are looking to bounce back after an overtime loss to the Thunder.
According to the online sports book Betonline.ag, the Boston Celtics are 9-point favorites:
Injury Report
The Celtics’ injury report is clear ahead of the game on Sunday night.
Indiana has a far more extensive injury report. TJ Warren, Ricky Rubio, Myles Turner, and TJ McConnell all remain out with long-term injuries. In addition, Chris Duarte (toe) is questionable and Lance Stephenson is listed as day-to-day.
G: Marcus Smart
G: Jaylen Brown
F: Jayson Tatum
F: Al Horford
C: Robert Williams
G: Tyrese Haliburton
G: Malcolm Brogdon
F: Buddy Hield
F: Oshae Brisset
C: Isaiah Jackson
Boston faced a surprisingly uphill battle on Saturday afternoon when they took on the Detroit Pistons. Detroit, who upset the Celtics in their last game before the All-Star break, played with great energy and physicality. They challenged Boston up until the very end, where a great fourth quarter from Payton Pritchard helped earn the C’s a win. The Pistons are still the only team to have beaten the Celtics in the month of February.
While the C’s took care of business on Saturday, so did some other teams. The Eastern Conference standings are as close as can be right now. Boston is half a game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for fifth, one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in fourth, and 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers in third. And on top of all of that, they’re only 4.5 games out of first place. Anybody could end up winning the East this year.
Indiana is one of the most interesting teams in the league. Outside of the James Harden-Ben Simmons deal, they pulled off the biggest trade of the deadline. The Pacers traded away Domantas Sabonis and, surprisingly, managed to get Tyrese Haliburton in return. Haliburton has been playing insanely well since joining the Pacers. In five games, he’s averaging 19.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 11.0 assists, and 2.2 steals while shooting 50.0 percent from the field and 44.1 percent from deep.
The Pacers have their new franchise cornerstone in Haliburton, but they’ve also put together a promising supporting cast of throwaways. Buddy Hield was a part of the Haliburton trade, and he’s been solid for them. In addition, they grabbed Jalen Smith from the Phoenix Suns (who’s been great) and found Terry Taylor in the G-League (who looks like a great energy guy). Indiana might not be a great team right now, but they have all the pieces in place for a quick rebuild.
Stopping Haliburton has to be the top priority. And honestly, he might be at the level where it’s less so a matter of stopping him, and more so a matter of slowing him down. Haliburton’s jump shot may look wonky, but if a guy is making over 44 percent of his threes, there’s no time to question it. Boston needs to throw the kitchen sink at Haliburton on Sunday night.
Past that, it’s all about playing connected. Hield is the only other guy who can really shoot from range on the Pacers, outside of maybe Smith. Other than that, they focus on the mid-range a lot, with players like Lance Stephenson trying to get to their spots in that area. If Boston plays the same style of defense they’ve been playing in all of 2022, they should be just fine against a rebuilding Indiana squad.
And lastly, the offense needs to have a bounce-back night. Against the Pistons, Boston’s offense was choppy and sluggish. They picked things up in the fourth to steal a win, but it was still an ugly offensive game. Ball movement is always the key to great offense, and the C’s need to get back to doing just that against the Pacers.
TIP-OFF: 5:00 p.m. @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub
TV: NBC Sports Boston
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