Celtics lose third straight, fall to Pacers 106-79

Well that one wasn't very pretty.

Hardly unexpected, though, when facing one of the best teams in the NBA and a true contender to unseat the Miami Heat.

The Celtics actually had another decent first quarter, only trailing 20-17, but as usual things dissolved from there with Boston getting outscored 32-20 in the second quarter.

Avery Bradley was again one of the bright spots on the team. He led the team in scoring with 13 and also had six rebounds. Jeff Green had 11 points and 6 rebounds and the only other Celtic in double figures was Courtney Lee with 11 points.

For the Pacers, Lance Stephenson had a triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, although the team was clearly gunning for him to get it as they left him in much longer than the other starters and promptly took him out once he reached his goal. MVP candidate Paul George had 24 points and five rebounds and Roy Hibbert had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

The Celtics get a nice little Christmas break until Dec. 28 when they face-off against the Cavaliers in Boston.

Pic via USA Today.