They'll look to keep the winning going when they take on the Indiana Pacers, losers of three straight, who sit dead last in the Central Division. This will be the C's final tune-up before their Christmas Day meet-up with East titan Orlando.
When and Where
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 7:30 p.m. ET (CSNE)
TD Garden, Boston, Mass.
Records
Celtics (21-5, first place in Atlantic Division, first in Eastern Conference)
Pacers (9-17, fifth place in Central Division, 12th in Eastern Conference)
Head to Head
The Celtics are 6-2 against the Pacers over the last two-plus seasons since acquiring Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. They're off on the wrong foot against Indiana this season, though, as the Pacers got the best of the C's on Nov. 14 at Conseco Fieldhouse. Danny Granger went off for 29 points in that game, fueling a 113-104 win over the heavily favored Celtics.
Skinny
The Pacers were already in bad shape with Danny Granger, their star 26-year-old swingman, carrying the load himself. But with Granger on the shelf with a foot injury, things have only gotten worse — Indiana's gone from a one-man team to a zero-man team, going 3-5 since losing their star two weeks ago. The Pacers are a Central Division bottom-feeder, and they'll be hard-pressed to make a playoff push this season.
Starting Lineups
Celtics
Point guard: Rajon Rondo
Shooting guard: Ray Allen
Small forward: Paul Pierce
Power forward: Kevin Garnett
Center: Kendrick Perkins
Pacers
Point guard: Earl Watson
Shooting guard: Brandon Rush
Small forward: Dahntay Jones
Power forward: Troy Murphy
Center: Roy Hibbert
Stat Sheet
Celtics
The Celtics are 13-4 against Eastern Conference opponents this season.
They are shooting 75.4 percent from the free-throw line, just under the league average.
Kendrick Perkins is shooting 64.4 percent from the floor, best in the NBA.
Paul Pierce is shooting 47.2 percent from three-point range, fifth-best in the league.
Rajon Rondo leads the league with 67 steals.
Rasheed Wallace leads the Celtics with 125 three-point attempts.
Ray Allen averages exactly 20.0 points per game against Indiana in his career.
Kevin Garnett has 22.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game against the Pacers.
Pacers
The Pacers are 3-10 on the road.
They have a team field goal percentage of 43.6, third-worst in the NBA.
Mike Dunleavy has 14.8 points per game, tops on the Pacers' active roster.
Dahntay Jones has 13.5 points per game, his first season averaging double figures.
T.J. Ford has 3.6 assists and 0.9 steals per game. He has been bumped from the Pacers' starting five.
Troy Murphy has 9.1 rebounds per game, 7.4 on the defensive end.
Brandon Rush has averaged 8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in four career meetings with the Celtics.
Black and Blue
Celtics
Ray Allen has a hyperextended right ring finger, but he played anyway Sunday against Minnesota. The C's shooting guard played 30 minutes and shot 8-for-15 for 20 points.
Glen Davis is recovering from a broken thumb. He hopes return to the Celtics in early January.
Marquis Daniels has undergone surgery on his left thumb. He hopes to return in February.
Pacers
Danny Granger is out with a torn plantar fascia in right foot. He is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Jeff Foster missed Monday night's game against Milwaukee with lower back soreness.
Travis Diener has undergone surgery on his left big toe. He will miss the rest of 2009.
This Date in Celtics History
In 1956, Bill Russell makes his professional debut for the Celtics at the Boston Garden. Russell, who had missed the first two months of the season while playing for Team USA in the '56 Olympics, leads the Celtics to a 95-93 win over the St. Louis Hawks in his first game back.
Overheard
"Let’s put it this way: You’ve been with a girl for five years, and then you’ve got a new girlfriend. You have to get used to each other, because the last girlfriend you knew everything about because you had been together for so long. You’re going to make a lot of different mistakes, have a lot of different arguments."
–Paul Pierce, in Tuesday's Boston Herald, on forming a relationship with coach Doc Rivers
Press Box
Celtics
The C's demolished the Timberwolves.
Eddie House made the play of the year.
Paul Pierce and Doc Rivers have a special bond.
Pacers
The Pacers couldn't take care of business against Milwaukee.
T.J. Ford is out of a job.
Indiana ruled the old ABA.
NBA
Tyreke Evans led an incredible comeback.
Dirk Nowitzki still leads the Mavs.
LeBron James dunks on a reindeer.
Outlook
On Friday, the Celtics lost an 11-game winning streak; this week, they'll try to kick-start another. The C's beat Minnesota on Sunday night to get things rolling, and now they'll look make it back-to-back wins as they take on the Pacers. This game is big not just because the C's want revenge for last month's loss — it's also a matter of tuning up for a big Christmas Day showdown with the Orlando Magic in three days. This is a deceptively important game on the Celtics' schedule.
