The Boston Celtics have definitely had their fair share of hiccups throughout the first half of the season. However, the team has won four of their last five games with the most recent victory coming in a 116-95 decision over the Brooklyn Nets. Prior to that, star guard Kyrie Irving was dealing with an eye injury that caused him to miss back-to-back games. The Celtics didn't miss a beat without Irving in those games, however, which shouldn't be a surprise since the team thrived at times during the 2018 postseason when Irving was on the shelf.

Meanwhile, the Indiana Pacers have been playing some of the best basketball around the league. The Pacers have won seven of their last eight games with the only blemish being a defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors. With six players averaging double figures, the Pacers are clearly one of the deepest teams in the Eastern Conference and continue to rise up the standings.

This could be a potential playoff preview with the Eastern Conference being very wide-open right now.

How to watch 

  • Date: Wednesday, Jan. 9
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Location: TD Garden -- Boston, Massachusetts
  • Streaming: fuboTV - (free trial - NBA League Pass add-on available)
  • Live stats: GameTracker
  • Odds: Celtics -6.5

Odds and analysis

Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.

Storylines

Pacers: One of the biggest positives for Indiana is the amount of balance that they have in the scoring department. Victor Oladipo, who is averaging 20.0 points per contest, anchors the offensive attack, but Tyreke Evans and Domantas Sabonis have provided a potent scoring punch off the bench. It'll be interesting to see if Oladipo can rise to the occasion in a tough game against one of the elite groups in the East.

Celtics: The injury bug definitely hasn't been kind to the Celtics this season. Irving missed two games earlier this month due to an eye injury and Aron Baynes is slated to miss a few more weeks with a broken hand. Depth has obviously been one of the biggest selling points as to why Boston could be the top team in the Eastern Conference. Irving did recently score 17 points in his return to the lineup and it's worth monitoring his production over the next few games.

Game prediction, pick

The Pacers are among the hottest teams in the league right now. However, facing the Celtics on the road isn't exactly an easy assignment. It'll be a close one, but Boston will pull out this game.