Visits: 6
The Boston Celtics visit the Indiana Pacers in a game that could decide which of the Eastern Conference rivals earn home seeding in the playoffs.
Live NBA: Boston @ Indiana
Following a four-game losing streak, the Celtics (47-32) appear to have righted the ship with four wins in their last five, including back-to-back victories over a highly motivated Miami Heat.
Logic would suggest the Celtics are gearing up nicely for a deep playoff run, but they have repeatedly defied logic all season by following every high with an equally, if not more extreme, low.
With just three games of the regular season remaining, any more major blips are likely to result in playoff elimination, therefore this likely first-round playoff preview provides the perfect opportunity for the Celtics to build further momentum.
2:42 The Celtics currently lead the Pacers, who hold the same record, by virtue of their 2-1 head-to-head record. With that considered, a win for the Celtics would leave them needing just one more win to ensure home court advantage for what looks set to be the four-versus-five Eastern Conference series.
A win for the Pacers would level the head-to-head and put them a game up in the overall standings, but leave them still needing victory in their final two games to guarantee the fourth seed.
The Pacers won just one of eight during a tough run of games in the second half of March, but have responded with back-to-back wins over the Detroit Pistons to revive some momentum heading into the playoffs.
Key battle: Jayson Tatum v Bojan Bogdanovic
While producing highly respectable numbers for a second-year NBA player, Jayson Tatum has experienced a testing campaign.
Having starred as the Celtics progressed to last season’s Eastern Conference finals without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, the 21-year-old has failed to continue the rapid ascension to the top of the game that many had forecast.
However, Tatum appears as though he may be peaking at the right time once more, and is enjoying a strong shooting patch, having made 12 of his last 19 attempts from three-point range.
He will be required to do more than just score though against the Pacers. Since All-Star Victor Oladipo suffered a season-ending victory in late January, Bojan Bogdanovic has embraced greater offensive responsibility.
Playing his fifth season in the NBA, Bogdanovic has smashed his career-best in points scored to average 18.2 per game, with the number significantly higher than that since Oladipo went down.
Which of the small forwards comes out on top could decide Friday’s meeting, and more importantly, their likely playoff series.
Last time out
2:08 
1:58 Numbers game
9.2 – That’s the difference between the number of three-pointers the Celtics attempt per game compared to the Pacers.
While the Pacers (.373) shoot the three slightly more accurately than the Celtics (.366), Boston’s significantly higher number of attempts is likely to give them a scoring advantage.
Pacers coach Nate McMillan is unlikely to stray too far from the formula which has seen his side exceed expectations for much of the season, but the numbers staying as they are spells trouble for Indiana.
One to watch (Celtics): Gordon Hayward
One of the reasons the Celtics have failed to live up to the lofty expectations many had for them this season has been Gordon Hayward’s failure to return to his pre-injury form.
After suffering a horrific leg injury on his Celtics debut that saw him sit out all of last season, he has endured a challenging – and inconsistent – campaign.
However, Hayward has put together a six-game streak of double-digit scoring games and is beginning to finish with the sort of impressive athleticism he showed in his Utah Jazz days.
In this form, Hayward could provide a vital scoring punch from the Celtics bench.
One to watch (Pacers): Domantas Sabonis
Doing exactly that job for the Pacers will be Domantas Sabonis.
The 22-year-old has contributed 14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game from the Pacers bench this season, proving himself to be a far more valuable player than many thought when he was traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2017.
Sabonis is one of few big men in the NBA who has (mostly) rejected extending his game to beyond the three-point line, making his impact more impressive.
Back-to-back double-doubles against the Pistons this week took Sabonis’ total from the bench to 26 for the season, the most by a reserve since Detlef Schrempf had 38 in 1991-92.
