December 23 - The Celtics rallied to defeat the Pacers 103-95 . Brown led the Celtics with 31 points and 9 rebounds, while White added 19 points. For the Pacers, Siakam contributed 25 points and 6 rebounds.

The Celtics started strong, scoring first, but the Pacers, led by Siakam and Nembuhad, quickly pulled away. The Celtics struggled offensively and failed to contain their opponents defensively, trailing 26-35 at the end of the first quarter . In the second quarter, the Pacers dominated on both ends of the court, extending their lead to as much as 20 points. Towards the end of the quarter, the Celtics slightly narrowed the gap thanks to outside shooting, but still trailed 43-61 at halftime .

After switching sides, the Celtics gradually increased the pace of the game, narrowing the gap to 6 points. However, the Pacers maintained their lead with a steady half-court offense, ending the third quarter with an 82-74 advantage. In the final quarter, the Celtics exploded on both ends of the court, going on a run to quickly erase the deficit and take the lead. Brown hit several key shots in this quarter, becoming the biggest contributor to the comeback. Ultimately, the Celtics rallied to defeat the Pacers 103-95.

Pacers player data

Pascal Siakam 25 points, 6 rebounds , 3 assists; Nembuhad 20 points , 2 rebounds , 7 assists; Mathelin 16 points , 9 rebounds; Thompson 13 points , 4 rebounds, 4 assists; Jackson 9 points , 1 assist; Foff 3 points , 5 rebounds, 2 assists; Huff 3 points, 5 rebounds; Walker 2 points, 4 rebounds; Jones 2 points .

Celtics player statistics

Brown 31 points, 9 rebounds , 2 assists; White 19 points , 5 rebounds , 4 assists; Simmons 11 points , 1 assist; Pritchard 11 points, 3 rebounds , 5 assists; Kelta 8 points , 8 rebounds , 2 assists ; Garza 6 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists; Hauser 6 points , 3 rebounds , 1 assist ; Gonzalez 6 points , 11 rebounds , 1 assist; Shaiman 3 points, 1 rebound