Indiana plays Boston in conference showdown
Indianapolis; Friday, 8 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Conference foes Indiana and Boston face off at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Pacers are 32-17 against Eastern Conference opponents. Indiana is 23-14 in games decided by 10 points or more.
The Celtics are 19-20 on the road. Boston ranks third in the Eastern Conference with 26.2 assists per game, led by Kyrie Irving averaging 7.0. The Celtics won 114-112 in the last meeting between these two teams on March 29. Irving led Boston with 30 points and Bojan Bogdanovic led Indiana with 27 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Bogdanovic has averaged 18.2 points and 4.1 rebounds for the Pacers. Myles Turner has averaged 15.2 points and totaled 8.5 rebounds while shooting 49.0 percent over the last 10 games for Indiana.
Irving is averaging 23.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the Celtics. Marcus Smart is shooting 44.6 percent and has averaged 10.9 points over the last 10 games for Boston.
LAST 10 GAMES: Celtics: 5-5, averaging 111 points, 43.5 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.6 points on 45.3 percent shooting.
Pacers: 3-7, averaging 106.6 points, 43.9 rebounds, 26.3 assists, 7.7 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 47.8 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 105.6 points on 45.6 percent shooting.
Pacers Injuries: Wesley Matthews: day to day (hamstring), Darren Collison: day to day (groin), Victor Oladipo: out for season (ruptured right quadricep tendon).
Celtics Injuries: Jaylen Brown: day to day (back), Al Horford: day to day (knee), Marcus Morris: out (knee).