Candace Buckner

IndyStar

Celtics at Pacers, 7 p.m. Tuesday, FSI

ATLANTA – George Hill wanted to move forward.

After falling flat 104-75 to the Atlanta Hawks, the Indiana Pacers’ largest margin of defeat for the season, Hill said the best course of action would be leaving the remains of that game inside the Philips Arena visitor’s locker room.

“Nothing we can do about it now,” Hill said Sunday night. “None of this matters now. Our focus has to be Boston on Tuesday.”

So before the Pacers (35-31) face another floor spacing and shooting team – such opponents becoming their greatest foe this season – Hill gazed into his team’s future and sought changes.

“We've got to make adjustments. It’s not about keeping people happy or things like that, it’s about winning,” Hill said. “We’ve got to figure that out and figure out the best defense possible we can play to give ourselves a chance to win.”

When asked for clarification on his veiled comment about “not about keeping people happy,” Hill didn’t exactly illuminate the topic. Instead, Hill ambiguously described how teammates should prioritize team goals over individual ones.

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“We can’t worry about this person or that person, how many shots people are getting or minutes,” Hill said. “We just got to try to win a game.”

Such an attempt failed against the Hawks, who made 15-of-30 attempts from the 3-point arc. In spite of the loss, the Pacers remained in the 7th seed with a one-game lead over the Detroit Pistons. Among the 16 remaining games, 11 are at home. Nevertheless, the Pacers will still have to play several more opponents that could identify as spread teams.

While the Celtics (39-27 and 3rd in the East) shoot plenty of 3-pointers, they don’t make them at a high rate (.334, 27th in the NBA). Even so, Boston can still score and ranks fourth in the league in posting 106.1 points per game.

So the defensive challenge continues, but in moving forward the Pacers will need more as a team.

“It’s going to have to take a collective group,” Hill said, “and all of us have to be all in for it.”

Follow IndyStar Pacers Insider Candace Buckner on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.

Keeping pace

The Indiana Pacers have the easiest remaining schedule of the teams jockeying for playoff position. Here is a look at the race, with remaining opponent winning percentage (through Sunday's games):

Boston at Indiana

Tipoff: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Bankers Life Fieldhouse

TV: FSI

Radio: 1070 AM, 93.5 FM

Pacers

Celtics

CROWDER’S OUT: The Celtics were dealt a blow Saturday when second-leading scorer Jae Crowder sustained a high ankle sprain. According to Boston head coach Brad Stevens, Crowder will likely miss “a couple weeks minimum.” Bad timing for the Cs, who currently reside in the 3rd seed and have nine road games remaining on the calendar. Crowder, a 6-6 two-way player, averages 14.5 points per game and would have drawn the defensive assignment on Paul George.

PACERS PLAY BOSTON BETTER IN INDY: Dating back to last season, the Pacers have won four of the last five games against the Celtics at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. However the Pacers last faced their boss’s old team on Nov. 4, very early in the season for the narrow 100-98 victory.

HE SAID WHAT?!: “Oh, s---. I didn’t even think about that. Wow.” – Evan Turner, reacting to his new role of taking on the defensive challenges at small forward in Crowder’s absence according to ESPN.com. During the 2013-14 season, Turner played the final 25 games with the Pacers

PREDICTION: The Celtics can show depth in bench players like Olynyk, who leads the team in 3-point shooting percentage, however the Crowder loss is a big one. While the Pacers are not facing major injuries, the lingering ones are problematic. Newest Pacer Ty Lawson has been limited for more than a week with a sore right foot. Rodney Stuckey blamed “scar tissue” for his absence early in the Atlanta matchup Sunday. Also C.J. Miles, two games back from his calf injury, still has to work back into rhythm. Team success depends on health. Even so if the Pacers can limit mistakes against Boston (the leading team in creating turnovers) and buckle down on defense, they should wrap up the season series against Boston, 3-1. Indiana wins 108-106.

- Candace Buckner