The Boston Celtics are on a great run and are still unbeaten this season. But early signs indicate that the Indiana Pacers are in trouble. They have lost 3 consecutive matches. Now, the NBA’s defending champions will shift their focus on the Pacers as it’ll be an Eastern Conference Finals rematch. The Pacers surprised many last season with their rising offense, a factor the Celtics will need to strategize against.

The Pacers have started the season 1-3, with their only victory coming in their opener against the Detroit Pistons. During their recent losing streak, the team has been self-critical, pointing out issues with rebounding, turnovers, and poor shot selection. Jayson Tatum has started the season as the NBA’s top scorer in the first quarters, while Payton Pritchard leads the league in total bench points. Joe Mazzulla’s squad appears unstoppable in their quest to defend their NBA championship title.

Can the Boston Celtics keep their unbeaten record without their superstar big man?

The Celtics are likely to gain a rotation player on Wednesday night as they take on the Pacers in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch. The team announced on Tuesday that Sam Hauser has been upgraded to probable on the injury list. Hauser has missed the last three games because of lower back pain, while Kristaps Porzingis remains sidelined as he recovers from his offseason leg surgery. They don’t want to take any risks until he is 100% healthy. Initially listed as questionable against the Bucks, Hauser was later downgraded just hours before Monday’s game.

The C’s have won three consecutive games without Hauser. In his absence, Payton Pritchard has taken on more of the bench scoring, notching 28 points in Monday’s victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Jordan Walsh also logged rotation minutes on the wing for the first time this season, while big men like Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta have handled additional minutes to help fill Hauser’s role.

After the win over the Bucks, Joe Mazzulla commended the Celtics’ bench for their versatility and convincing performance. “It’s a credit to them because they stay ready, and it’s a credit to the staff for getting them ready. So it’s not about finding it. It’s like that group of the Neemie, the Jordan, the Luke, the X.” said Mazzulla, the C’s head coach. Hauser returns to action as Boston heads into Indiana to take on a struggling Pacers team that’s lost three games in a row.

Will the Pacers correct their course?

Despite the outcome of the game against the Orlando Magic, where Tyrese Haliburton put in a solid performance and Pascal Siakam continued his strong form, head coach Rick Carlisle had reasons to remain optimistic.

“We didn’t win the game, but we moved in a better direction than the first three games. The game last night (against the 76ers) was really bad, and we were better tonight. We had some in our hands that we lost. So that’s disappointing when that happens, but I got to look at the film. We did a lot of good things, and we got to keep cleaning up the things that we need to clean up.” 

The Pacers have listed 3 players on their sheet. One of them, their key starters, Myles Turner’s status for Wednesday’s game is uncertain as he deals with a left ankle sprain. Additionally, Johnny Furphy is listed as questionable due to strep throat. Joining them on the list is James Wiseman, who recently underwent surgery to repair a torn left Achilles and is out for the game.

Haliburton is currently putting up 14.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.3 three-pointers per game, shooting 33.9% from the field and 26.5% from three-point range. To help the Pacers reach the level of last season’s success, he’ll need to boost his shooting accuracy. Although Indiana is on a three-game losing streak, Haliburton appears to be showing improvement. Up next, the Pacers will have another challenging matchup as they host the undefeated Celtics on Wednesday.