The Indiana Pacers look to escape the cold weather in Indy and earn another W when they visit the Boston Celtics on Friday night. They may not need sunscreen in Boston but at least it won't be as freezing in Beantown as it has been in Indy.

On the injury front, George Hill expects to be back in the starting lineup for the Pacers after missing the past two games with a thigh contusion. He tried to give it a go against Memphis and Washington but the team didn't want to force the issue.

Following the win over Washington, Frank Vogel said, "He (Hill) told me that the pain was improving but his ability to explode was not."

The Pacers survived to win both games without Hill and give him some extended rest but now the team will need him for a challenging four-game stretch of the schedule.

Also, Lance Stephenson didn't do much on Thursday while tending to an illness but he is probable for the game tonight. Sam Young did too much, tweaking an ankle in practice on Thursday which will keep him sidelined.

Down on the farm, Orlando Johnson and Miles Plumlee hustled up to Fort Wayne to play in the Mad Ants' 102-86 win over Santa Cruz in the D-League. Plumlee scored nine points with nine rebounds in 27 minutes. Johnson played over 40 minutes and scored 25 points with six assists and three rebounds. Johnson also made three of seven three-pointers for the Mad Ants. Not a bad night.

Check out the links:

• NBA Development League: Warriors at Mad Ants Game Info - January 3, 2013
• Game Preview: Pacers at Celtics | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
• The Pacers Are Up For a Challenge | Pacers.com
• Pacers: Is Paul George an All-Star? 3rd-year guard making a case | Indianapolis Star | indystar.com
• Pacers-Celtics Preview - AP
• Avery Bradley returns, but Celtics still in a funk - SBNation.com
• Celtics likely to tweak lineup soon - CelticsBlog
• Losing takes a toll on Celtics guard Rajon Rondo - Celtics - Boston.com
• The reeling Boston Celtics are struggling at league-low levels with Kevin Garnett off the floor | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo! Sports
• Boston Celtics rookie Jared Sullinger is gaining Doc Rivers' trust - ESPN Boston
• Jarrett Jack likes Mark Jackson’s cool handshakes | The Basketball Jones | Blogs | theScore.com
• Stephen Jackson sprains ankle falling over waitress in front of NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg (VIDEO) | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo! Sports
• An exhaustive list of ex-NBA players who might rejoin the league soon | The Basketball Jones | Blogs | theScore.com