Riding a two-game winning streak the Celtics went into Indiana to face the Pacers, the best team in the Eastern Conference. Despite hanging tough the majority of the game, the C's fell 94-83. The Pacers may have had some extra motivation as they entered the game losers of four straight.
It was a balanced scoring attack for the Celtics as five players reached double-figures led by Jared Sullinger's 17 points off the bench. Kris Humphries had another strong game finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Chris Johnson had 14 off the bench. As in the case of many of the Celtics losses this year they fell behind early and couldn't recover.
David West led the Pacers with a game-high 24 points in the win.
The Celtics will have no time to dwell on the loss as they will return to the TD Garden Wednesday night (7:30, CSNNE) when they host the Knicks.
What they'll be saying: It was a difficult shooting night for the C's as they shot just 35 percent from the field, opposed to Indiana who shot 55 percent -- a result of poor Celtics defense at times. The Pacers may also have been sparked by Andrew Bynum making his debut with the Pacers finishing with eight points and 10 rebounds. Coming off an 18 assist game, Rajon Rondo played 41 minutes, but finished with just eight points. He will not play Wednesday night against the Knicks as it is the second game on back-to-back nights.
