On Friday, the teams will meet again for another game. Before the Celtics’ 142-138 overtime victory in Indiana on February 23, the Pacers had won the first meeting, 117-112.
Latest news on Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum
The Indiana Pacers will be hoping to have All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton available for Friday night’s game against the Boston Celtics.
Haliburton missed his sixth straight game on Wednesday with a right ankle injury and was initially listed as questionable for the 118-114 victory in Toronto. In that time frame, the Pacers have a 3–3 record.
Indiana (33-40) dropped nine of 10 games in January without Haliburton because of a sprained left elbow.
At the halfway point of the season, Haliburton has started 54 games and is averaging 20.8 points, 10.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals.
Reports suggest that Haliburton may miss his seventh straight game.
T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard may continue to see increased playing time on Friday without the star point guard.
This season’s final nine games will be crucial for Indiana’s chances of making the Eastern Conference playoffs. As of right now, the Indiana Pacers trail the Chicago Bulls by 1 1/2 games for the eighth and final playoff spot.
Jayson Tatum scored 36 points to lead the Celtics (50-23) to a 132-109 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, the final game of the team’s six-game road trip. Boston finished the road trip with a 4-2 record.
Since the All-Star break (13 games), Tatum has appeared in 13 of Boston’s 14 matchups and is averaging 27.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.5 blocks in 37.8 minutes per game.
Center Robert Williams returned for the Celtics on Wednesday after missing the previous eight games with a hamstring injury. Against the Kings, he scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds in less than 21 minutes off the bench.
The Celtics still have nine games left, six of which will be played at TD Garden. Boston is in a tight race with Milwaukee for the top playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
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Pacers injuries:
- Tyrese Haliburton (Knee) – Questionable
- Chris Duarte (Ankle) – Questionable
- Kendall Brown (Lower Leg) – Questionable
Celtics injuries:
- Payton Pritchard (Heel) – Questionable
- Danilo Gallinari (Knee) – Out
