Celtics’ roster and lineup changes ahead of matchup with Indiana Pacers

The Boston Celtics made a number of lineup and roster changes ahead of their first regular season meeting with the Indiana Pacers Saturday night. As they look to win their 18th game of the young season, Boston will have to deal with a fair amount of shuffling.

We’ll kick things off with the starting lineup, as Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis will replace Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris. Morris was scheduled to sit out the second half of the Celtics’ back-to-back as a precaution to the sore knee that kept him out for the first few weeks of the season. Theis did not play in the Celtics’ blowout win over the Magic on Friday because Brad Stevens foresaw an increased role in Indiana tonight.

Brown will miss the game since he is still in Atlanta for his best friend Trevin Steede’s funeral. Stevens gave Brown permission to stay with family and friends if he needed, and it looks like he’ll sit out the Celtics road game in Indiana before the team returns for a home-stand.

With two regular rotation players inactive tonight, the Celtics decided to call up Jabari Bird from the Maine Red Claws to give Boston depth on the bench. Bird has not played with the Celtics since a two-game stint in late October against the Knicks and Sixers, and played a big part in Boston’s first win of the season in Philadelphia.

With all the changes on the court, it’s hard not to mention the changes on the broadcast as well. Play-by-play man Mike Gorman takes the day off to celebrate his 70th birthday, Kyle Draper will join Brian Scalabrine on the call. This should be interesting not hearing Gorman’s voice but we’ll see what Draper has in store for us. It’s truly a next-man-up mentality for the Celtics as they take on the Pacers.