While [the Celtics](https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2026/01/celtics-trade-rumors-boston-showing-interest-in-mavericks-center.html) fought through their shooting woes, they fell just short in a 98-96 loss to the Pacers on Monday in Indiana. Pascal Siakam hit the game-winning bucket with 6.1 seconds left in the game to seal the win. The C’s dropped to 24-15 while the East-worst Pacers improved to 9-31.
[Jaylen Brown missed a game](https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2026/01/celtics-injury-report-jaylen-brown-downgraded-for-pacers-game-monday.html) for just the third time this season due to low back spasms. It was clear the C’s missed their best player in what ended up being a dogfight against the Pacers. The night started in a close back-and-forth throughout the first half with Indiana shooting hot from 3-point land.
But the start of the second half was an issue. The Pacers went on a 20-4 run to take a big swing on the Celtics. The C’s got right up off the mat to force a close game, playing catchup for most of the second half. In the end, Siakam’s game-winning bucket was just enough for the Pacers to take the win after the C’s tied the game. Derrick White’s 3-pointer at the buzzer was off the mark.
Payton Pritchard led the way with 23 points and eight assists. Neemias Queta also had 15 points and eight rebounds. Jay Huff had 20 points for the Pacers while Pascal Siakam had 21 points, eight rebounds and six assists, including the game-winning bucket.
The Celtics face the Heat in Miami at 7:30 p.m. Thursday for their next game. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s loss to Indiana:
**Shooting disparity:** While the Celtics got some great looks, the 3-pointers just refused to go down Monday. The C’s finished 9-for-35 (25.7%) from beyond the arc. In comparison, the Pacers finished 16-for-37 (43.2%) on 3-pointers. Despite all that, the C’s kept it close because of their work on the margins. Boston had the 54-38 edge in points in the paint. The C’s also had the 16-6 edge in second-chance points. So even though the 3s weren’t going down, the Celtics got their work done in other areas. And they did all that missing Brown, their go-to guy down the stretch.
**Another big scoring night:** Pritchard led the Celtics to victories the two other times Brown has missed a game this season. While the C’s couldn’t get the win Monday, it was still a solid showing from Pritchard. He came into Monday’s game averaging 26.5 points in the two games without Brown this year. Pritchard was once again a big scorer, including 11 points in the third quarter, to push the Celtics back into the game. His production was much-needed considering the other C’s struggled to consistently score Monday.
**Getting the nod:** With no Brown, Baylor Scheierman entered the starting lineup for the first time this season. Hugo Gonzalez was the starter against the Spurs because the C’s didn’t have Hauser. So, the Celtics have tinkered with their starting lineup in recent games, especially among the wings. Scheierman was relatively quiet in his 20 minutes, putting up two points. Jordan Walsh put his impact on the game with six points and nine rebounds. Walsh also finished the game with the starters.
**Hitting a lull:** The Celtics soared high as they grabbed the No. 2 spot in the East last week. But they’ve now lost three of their last four games, all clutch games. They were just a few possessions short against the Nuggets, Spurs and Pacers. The C’s were one of the hottest teams in the league on their way up the standings. They’re also on a four-game road trip against solid teams: the Heat, the Hawks and the East-best Pistons. So it’ll be a challenging stretch for the C’s going forward.