Pacers struggles continue in loss to Celtics at home, with Heat next in Miami
The Pacers ran their current losing streak to seven games thanks to inability to slow down C's.
The Pacers started strong against the Celtics (again), taking a 15-point lead midway through the first quarter en route to a 39-28 lead after 11 Pacers saw the floor lead by Andrew Nembhard with a trio of triples to get the offense flowing.
Alas, that hot start was not sustainable and as the offense sputtered the defense followed (or was it the other way around, getting hard to tell) and the C’s countered in the second quarter by ambushing the Pacers 47-22 to seize control of the game at the half. The C’s followed up that big run with a 36-30 third quarter which buried the Pacers in a game that fittingly left them with the worst record in the NBA, following a Washington win.
While the first quarter was solid, the momentum started swinging after that 15-point lead thanks to a pair of threes by Sam Hauser quickly cut that Pacers double-digit lead to nine and seemed to settle the Celtics into ‘we got this mode’ before the Boston offense hit the turbo booster and they ran past the Pacers like the home team was standing still.
The Pacers continued issues with the reserve rotations, thanks to the many roster maneuvers the team has been force to manage, saw the Pacers maintain that 11-man rotation through the second quarter. This included Micah Potter, a 3-point shooting big man who joined the Pacers on Friday morning, as another front court option with Isaiah Jackson on the shelf.
The frustration remains with the vets on the squad which helped lead to Pascal Siakam picking up a delay of game penalty while trying to maintain his composure. TJ McConnell also got into a bit of a shoving match with Jordan Walsh while looking to take on anyone in the gym who would step to him just to let it all out.
The frustration is turning to agitation as the vets continue pushing for more from the young players who have all had moments of great, good or decent play depending on your expectations, yet none have come nowhere near being consistent with the positive impact. However, that consistency is one of the last things to hit in developing any skill that could be impactful nightly.
Jarace Walker had a great shooting night against the Celtics, breaking out of a recent shooting slump to make 4 of 7 threes. His overall game remains a bit all over the place but, and I swear this is a compliment, Walker has played plenty of minutes of late and while he hasn’t stood out with highlight plays, he hasn’t stuck out like a sore thumb for big mistakes. Being a noticeable positive is obviously preferred but this season has taken a dive to the bottom of the standings, so playing Walker through the good, bad and ugly is useful.
Same goes for playing Johnny Furphy, Quenton Jackson and Isaiah Jackson (when healthy) which we are seeing more now. Kam Jones has made the most of his garbage time minutes and it would be nice to see the second-round pick play more minutes, at the expense of Ethan Thompson’s allotment. Jones has attacked and shown the dog in his game we saw at Marquette.
There are no good answers with the current circumstances. Any of the healthy vets the Pacers have from their 2024-25 rotation should be getting minutes. They are pros, they have careers that when not fortified by wins, at least need to add numbers. Siakam has become the focal point of opposing defenses which is surely cranking up his frustration, as it hampers both of those efforts. But the more help he can get along the way will make things tenable for the star forward who would love to see any or all of those young guys figure out how to consistently impact winning.
The Pacers went directly to Miami after the loss to Boston where they will play the Heat on Saturday night. Aaron Nesmith has been upgraded to questionable which has been a positive designation this year, as players moved quickly from questionable to active. It not in Miami, Nesmith will likely be available in Houston on Monday if the process remains the same. With Nesmith potentially returning, TJ McConnell is sit out the second game of the back-to-back to rest his hamstring.
The Heat are also on a back-to-back after they beat the Hawks on Friday night in Atlanta. The win was just the second in the last 10 games for Miami as they work through injuries to Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
So yeah…good news is hard to come by these days for the Pacers and really has been coming in 3-5 minutes stretches of solid play in games that are ultimately lost.
Pacers vs. Heat
Where: Kaseya center, Miami, FL
When: Saturday, December 27, 2025 - 8:00 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +7.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Quenton Jackson, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Jay Huff
Heat: Davion Mitchell, Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, Pelle Larsson, Kel’el Ware
Injuries
Pacers: Aaron Nesmith (knee) - out, TJ McConnell (hamstring) - out, Isaiah Jackson (concussion) - out, Ben Sheppard (calf) - out, Obi Toppin (hammy) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out
Heat: Bam Adebayo (back) - out, Tyler Herro (big toe) - out, Terry Rozier (not with team) - out