Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics Predicted Starting Lineups and Depth Chart for Dec. 27 | 2024-25 NBA season

The Indiana Pacers will square off against the Boston Celtics on Friday at TD Garden. This will be the second of three meetings between the Eastern Conference teams, with the third matchup (which is also a Boston home game) taking place 24 hours later. On Oct. 30, the Pacers stopped a furious Celtics rally in the fourth and came away with the 135-132 overtime win.

The Pacers have had an uneven season thus far, as they've alternated between consecutive wins and losing streaks. Their Dec. 26 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder (120-114) put an end to their five-game winning streak. They currently stand at 7th in the East by their 15-16 record.

Meanwhile, the defending champions in Beantown have the third-best record in the NBA (22-8). They've lost three of their last four games, including two straight losses at the hands of the Orlando Magic (108-104) and Philadelphia 76ers (118-114).

Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics: Injury report

Indiana Pacers injury report

As per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star, forward Obi Toppin (ankle) is unlikely to suit up against the Celtics. Similarly, center Myles Turner (oblique) has been ruled day-to-day. Forward Aaron Nesmith (ankle) will sit out this Friday's matchup, as will James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson, who both underwent procedures to repair their respective Achilles injuries.

Boston Celtics injury report

On the Celtics' side, Kristaps Porzingis (ankle) and Jrue Holiday (shoulder) are questionable.

Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics: Predicted starting lineups and depth chart

Indiana Pacers

Boston Celtics

Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics: Key matchups

Tyrese Haliburton vs Derrick White

Though Haliburton's points (17.8) and assists (8.8) per game are down compared to last season, the All-Star point guard is still a cerebral force to be reckoned with. Expect White, a defensive ace, to expend much effort to try to contain Haliburton. One way he could do this is by making his Pacers counterpart work on defense; if Haliburton has to contend with a 20-point outing from White, his energy on offense might be compromised.

Pascal Siakam vs Jayson Tatum

Tatum and Siakam are the leading scorers of their respective teams, putting up 29.0 and 20.1 a night, respectively. The endgame of this Eastern Conference matchup may very well come down to a shootout between these two elite forwards, especially since both of them can score efficiently from the inside and the outside.