PREVIEW – Celtics return from All-Star Game break vs Pacers

The Indiana Pacers (26-34) host the Easten Conference leaders Boston Celtics (42-17) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, hoping to reproduce the performance, which allowed them beat the Celtics 117-112 in their previous meeting this season.

Indiana have had a plethora of ups and downs this season and enter the game, having won just one of their last five contests before the All-Star break.

However, the Pacers have a decent shot of making it to the Play-in Tournament thanks to their core of Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, and rookie Bennedict Mathurin.

They have played well at home, too, and face the Celtics with an 18-14 record at home.

Kendall Brown (lower leg) is a game-time call for the Pacers, but the rest of the players are fit and available.

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The Celtics sit at the top of the Eastern Conference standings and look primed to reach the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.

Their star forward and MVP candidate Jayson Tatum is averaging a robust 30.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game this season.

Boston has also been one of the best teams in the league playing on the road (18-10 record), and the Celtics also enter this game having won four of their last five contests overall, with their lone defeat in that span being an overtime loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.

Danilo Gallinari (knee) is out for Boston.

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