Game 64 Preview: Celtics at Pacers

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Kris Humphries and company need all hands on deck to battle Indy's bigs.

In my last game preview, the Pacers (46-17) visited the Celtics (22-41).

Tonight, the C's visit the Eastern Conference's best team.

This is the fourth and final meeting between these two teams. The Pacers have gone 3-0 thus far.

Although they have already clinched a playoff berth, the Pacers are slumping. They've lost four straight games by an average of 15.3 points.

Help is on the way for the struggling Pacers. Andrew Bynum, who signed with Indy on February 1, will make his Pacer debut tonight. It was a strategic move to have Bynum sit out in order to strengthen his knees and get in better shape.

On the other side, the Celtics have won two in a row, with their latest victory coming Sunday night over the Detroit Pistons.

Tonight marks the first of a back-to-back for the Celtics, and head coach Brad Stevens has already ruled Rajon Rondo out for tomorrow's game.

Projected lineups:

Celtics:
Rajon Rondo
Jerryd Bayless
Jeff Green
Brandon Bass
Kris Humphries

Pacers:
George Hill
Lance Stephenson
Paul George
David West
Roy Hibbert

Keys to the game:

1. Attack: Boston is playing an Indiana team that's in a funk right now. They've given up 108.7 points on 49.4% shooting over their last three games. The Celtics need to maintain their offensive rhythm they've had over their last three games, a stretch in which they've shot 47% from the floor.

2. Take someone away: Indy has four guys in their starting five averaging more than 6.5 rebounds per game. The Celtics have one. The C's need to limit Indy's effectiveness on the glass by taking away one of their gargantuan players. Whether it be David West, Lance Stephenson or Roy Hibbert -- watch out for Bynum, too -- not everyone can get what they want on the block.