The Boston Celtics (1-3, 1-1 home) host the Indiana Pacers (1-4, 0-2 away) on Friday night at TD Garden (7:30 p.m., CSN). Here's what to watch for:
• Keeping up the Pace(rs): Indiana plays at a plodding pace, averaging only 93.54 possessions per 48 minutes. In contrast, Boston is third in the league averaging 101.5 possessions per 48 minutes. But Celtics coach Brad Stevens said his team can't sleep on Indiana. "[The Pacers] are going to be advantageous," he said. "They take advantage of you if you don’t get back. They are a really well-coached machine. Those guys, even the new guys, have fit in nicely to what they are trying to do. They run a ton of stuff. But guys like [Luis] Scola beat you down the floor once a quarter and they find him every time. That’s where you just have to be really solid in what you do and you gotta focus on taking away what you can, but also playing your very best. This is an execution game where, if you don’t play your very best, then they are going to expose you on both ends."
• Can't overlook shorthanded Pacers: Injuries have decimated Indiana's roster -- the Pacers utilized a hardship waiver to add guard A.J. Price Thursday because of injuries to starters Paul George (leg), David West (ankle) and George Hill (knee), as well as backups Rodney Stuckey (foot) and C.J. Watson (foot). Indiana had only nine players available on Wednesday in Washington and still took the Wizards to overtime before coming up short.
• Loose Balls: Celtics guard Avery Bradley sat out practice Thursday with a strained muscle in his left elbow, but Stevens dubbed him probable for Friday's game. ... Despite their injuries, the Pacers rank 10th in the league in defensive rating (99.2). ... Indiana is also second in defensive rebound rate and third in total rebound percentage.
