The Celtics look to win their fifth straight recreation as they head to Indiana to tackle the Pacers in a rematch of the Jap Convention Finals. Despite the truth that they swept the Pacers within the ECF, the Celtics felt that they had been their hardest matchup of the playoffs. Just one recreation was a blow out by 16 factors. The primary recreation went to extra time whereas Video games 3 and 4 had been simply 3 level wins.
The Pacers have struggled out of the blocks this season. They beat the Pistons of their season opener however then misplaced to the Knicks, 76ers and Magic of their subsequent 3 video games. Like Jayson Tatum, Haliburton was given little or no enjoying time within the Olympics however as an alternative of coming again with a chip on his shoulder as Tatum did, he appears to be extra complacent this season. Nonetheless, Haliburton and the Pacers did play a lot better of their most up-to-date loss to the Magic.
That is the primary of three conferences between these two groups this season. They’ll face off once more on December 27 and December 29, with each of these video games in Boston. The Celtics gained the sequence 3-2 final season, together with a loss to them within the NBA Cup In-Season Match. They’re 109-85 total all time in opposition to the Pacers and they’re 41-57 in video games performed in Indiana.
Each groups had comparatively quiet off seasons. The Celtics stood pat for probably the most half within the off season, bringing again their total core of gamers and shedding simply Svi Mykhailiuk and Oshae Brissett. They added Baylor Scheierman, who was the thirtieth decide within the draft and signed 2nd spherical decide, Anton Watson to a 2 means contract. They’ve one open roster spot. They’ve additionally added a few chips on their shoulder after Olympic snubs and different drama over the summer season.
The Pacers additionally stood pat for probably the most half and introduced again their core gamers. Final yr, Indiana added Obi Toppin, Bruce Brown Jr., and Pascal Siakam they usually needed to modify lineups and construct chemistry as they went alongside. Throughout coaching camp this season, the Pacers constructed chemistry on and off the court docket. They’re hoping that having a while collectively final season and having coaching camp collectively this season will assist them to take one other step ahead this season.
The Celtics will likely be with out Kristaps Porzingis, who continues to be rehabbing from off season ankle surgical procedure. He isn’t anticipated to return till someday in December. Sam Hauser missed the final 3 video games with soreness in his decrease again and has been upgraded to possible for this recreation. For the Pacers, James Wiseman is out with an ACL tear. Johnny Furphy is questionable with a strep throat and Myles Turner is questionable with a sprained ankle.
Possible Celtics Starters
Grid View
Celtics ReservesLuke KornetPayton PritchardNeemias QuetaBaylor ScheiermanJaden SpringerXavier Tillman, SrJordan Walsh
2 Manner PlayersJD DavisonDrew PetersonAnton Watson
Accidents/OutKristaps Porzingis (ankle) outSam Hauser (again) possible
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Possible Pacers Starters
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Pacers ReservesIsaiah JacksonJames JohnsonBenedict MathurinTJ McConnellBen Sheppard Obi ToppinJarace Walker
2 Manner Gamers Enrique FreemanQuenton JacksonTristen Newton
Accidents/OutJohnny Furphy (sickness) questionableJames Wiseman (knee) out Myles Turner (ankle) questionable
Head Coach Rick Carlisle
Key Matchups
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Jrue Vacation
Photograph by Elsa/Getty Photos
Tyrese Haliburton
Photograph by Dylan Buell/Getty Photos
Jrue Vacation vs Tyrese Haliburton Haliburton had a escape yr final season, averaging 20.1 factors, 3.9 rebounds and 10.9 assists. He was additionally named to the All Star group and the Olympic group. To date this season he has began out slowly, averaging 14 factors, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.3 steals whereas taking pictures 33.9% from the sector and 26.5% from past the arc. Over his profession, he has averaged 18.5 factors, 4.1 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.8 steals per recreation in opposition to the Celtics.
Grid View
Jayson Tatum
Photograph by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE through Getty Photos
Pascal Siakam
Photograph by Ron Hoskins/NBAE through Getty Photos
Jayson Tatum vs Pascal Siakam Siakam is averaging 18.5 factors, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.0 steal per recreation whereas taking pictures 54.5% from the sector and 31.3% from past the arc. Over his profession, he averaged 17.8 factors, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per recreation over his profession. Jayson Tatum struggled considerably in opposition to the Bucks and must be trying to get again on monitor on this one.
Honorable Point out Al Horford vs Myles TurnerTurner is averaging 15.0 factors, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and a pair of.0 blocks per recreation this season. Over his profession, he has averaged 13.5 factors, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per recreation in opposition to the Celtics. Al Horford has been enjoying very nicely with Kristaps Porzingis out to start the season and hopefully that may proceed on this recreation.
Keys to the Sport Protection – Protection is the important thing to successful each single recreation. The Pacers haven’t been the scoring juggernaut they had been final season. They’re averaging 110.5 factors per recreation (twenty third) whereas the Celtics are averaging 124.3 factors per recreation (1st). The Celtics are 14th within the league with a defensive ranking of 111.2. The Pacers are twenty third with a defensive ranking of 115.8. The Celtics have to make protection their identification and their precedence. The Celtics need to play powerful protection to forestall the Pacers from getting out on the break and scoring simple factors.
Rebound – The Celtics are twenty sixth within the league, knocking down 41.0 rebounds per recreation. The Pacers are twenty ninth with 38.3 rebounds per recreation. It’s important for the Celtics to rebound the ball to offer themselves additional possessions and to forestall the Pacers from getting the identical together with 2nd probability factors. To date, the Celtics haven’t been rebounding in addition to they did final season. A lot of rebounding is need and energy and the Celtics have gotten to place out extra effort on the boards.
Factors within the Paint – The Celtics focus on taking pictures from the perimeter and normally that may result in a dominant win for them since, as Joe Mazzulla says, 3 is greater than 2. Nonetheless, they’ve been outscored within the paint in all 4 of their video games to this point by a big margin. The Celtics are final within the league with simply 36.0 factors within the paint per recreation. The Bucks are sixth with 54 factors within the paint per recreation. The Celtics want to attain inside extra, particularly when the three’s aren’t falling. In addition they need to defend inside higher to forestall opponents from getting simple buckets within the paint.
Most Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics are dealing with considered one of their hardest opponents from final season’s playoffs. There’s a good risk that they’ll see them within the playoffs sooner or later this season. The Celtics effort of their final 2 video games was good at occasions and never so good at different occasions. The Celtics have to offer max effort on the boards and on protection they usually have to offer that effort for the complete recreation and never simply 2 quarters.
X-Components On The Street and Fatigue – The Celtics are enjoying of their third recreation on the highway this season. The Celtics are dealing with the distractions of journey and a hostile crowd they usually can’t permit these distractions to remove from their give attention to the sport. Then again, the Pacers are enjoying within the third recreation in 4 nights. Fatigue may are available to minimize the stretch for each groups on account of journey and three video games in 4 nights.
Revenge – The Celtics swept the Pacers 4-0 within the Jap Convention Finals final season, regardless of all the video games being very aggressive. The Pacers have had a moderately lackluster begin to this season with a 1-3 file. Going through off in opposition to the Celtics as soon as once more ought to give them motivation to up their effort to attempt to precise some revenge for final yr’s ECF loss.
Officiating – Officiating can at all times be an x-factor. Each officiating crew calls the sport in a different way. Will the refs name it tight? Will they allow them to play? The officiating in opposition to the Bucks was horrible and so hopefully it will likely be higher on this one. As soon as once more, the Celtics should modify to the best way the crew is asking the sport and never permit it to grow to be a distraction for them.
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