By the time the Celtics (26-16) and Pacers (10-34) meet again Wednesday night at TD Garden, the through line of this season series is easy to trace - it runs straight through Jaylen Brown.

Each matchup with Indiana has offered a different snapshot of Boston’s identity, but Brown’s presence (or absence) has quietly shaped all of them. Whether he’s overpowering the game late, steadying Boston through turbulence, or forcing others into larger roles, his imprint has defined how these games have unfolded.

In the first meeting at TD Garden, Brown was the stabilizer when everything felt close to unraveling. Indiana’s early shooting barrage put Boston in a 20-point hole and drained the building of energy. When the Celtics finally found life, it wasn’t just because the bench flipped the game, it was because Brown refused to let the moment slip away. His 31 points and 9 rebounds anchored the comeback, and his fourth-quarter scoring sealed it. While the reserves changed the temperature, Brown controlled the finish, turning chaos into a win that felt earned rather than escaped.

Game two showed a different side of his value. Indiana again came out firing, and Boston again absorbed the early punch. This time, though, Brown didn’t need to dominate late. His steady pressure helped Boston wrestle control early, allowing the Celtics to turn the game into something methodical and inevitable. It was the kind of night where his impact wasn’t defined by a takeover stretch, but by how little oxygen Indiana had once Boston settled in.

Then came the third meeting in Indiana - the outlier, and perhaps the most revealing chapter of the series.

Brown didn’t play.

Without him, Boston had to manufacture offense, leaning heavily on Payton Pritchard and trying to win through defense, rebounding, and effort. They nearly pulled it off, despite a brutal shooting gap, but the margin proved too thin. The Celtics were competitive to the final possession, yet that late-game certainty Brown often provides was missing. When Pascal Siakam hit the go-ahead jumper, it underscored how narrow Boston’s path becomes without its most reliable wing scorer.

That absence lingered long after the final horn. It wasn’t about blaming a loss on one missing player - it was about recognizing how much Brown simplifies things. He absorbs pressure. He punishes mismatches. He gives Boston a release valve when the offense stalls or the rhythm breaks.

Wednesday night isn’t about rewriting the past three games. It’s about understanding what they’ve already shown. Against Indiana, Boston can survive stretches of chaos, cold shooting, even lineup shuffles - but when Jaylen Brown is at full throttle, the Celtics don’t just survive these games.

They control them.

And at this point in the season, that distinction matters more than the record ever could.

Heading into Wednesday, the Celtics listed his on the injury report as “probable” with left hamstring tightness. With that being the case, I believe Joe Mazzulla will manage his MVP candidate’s minutes, thus making his under for points my play of the day.

Spread: Celtics -10.5 (-108), Pacers +11 (-110)
Moneyline: Celtics -445, Pacers +393
Total: Over 225.5 (-110), Under 226 (-108)

Best number in each market via OddsTrader, which aggregates all the odds from every sportsbook to give you the best options to choose from.

Missed any of Monday night’s loss to the Pistons? Here were some takeaways:

Detroit made Derrick White uncomfortable from the opening tip, consistently cutting off his preferred right-hand drives and forcing him into tough decisions. The result was one of the roughest shooting performances of his season.

White missed 10 of his 11 shots and went 0 for 6 from beyond the arc.

While he remained active as a passer and rebounder, the Celtics felt his absence as a scoring threat - especially in a game where points were at a premium.

Against a Pistons defense this physical and connected, Boston simply couldn’t afford for one of its most reliable offensive outlets to go cold.

Boston entered the night as one of the league’s best teams at taking care of the basketball, but Detroit disrupted that identity early.

The Celtics committed nine first-half turnovers compared to just two for the Pistons, a disparity that translated directly into a lopsided points-off-turnovers battle. Detroit turned those mistakes into 19 easy points, while Boston managed just six on the other end.

The Celtics cleaned things up after halftime, and briefly found offensive rhythm in the third quarter, but the early damage forced them to play from behind all night - a dangerous proposition against a team built to protect slim leads.

Luka Garza’s recent stretch of solid play didn’t matter much once the whistles started piling up.

Four fouls in just three first half minutes sent Joe Mazzulla scrambling, forcing Boston into some unfamiliar lineup looks during a critical stretch of the game.

Xavier Tillman logged his first meaningful minutes since late November, Baylor Scheierman spent time at center in small-ball units, and Neemias Queta was asked to absorb heavier minutes earlier than planned.

Garza returned to score 10 points in the second half, but his absence loomed large in the second quarter, when Boston was outscored 33-22 and briefly lost control of the game.

This performance underscored why the Celtics still need help at center come the trade deadline.

Hauser’s January shooting surge continued against one of the league’s best defenses.

He knocked down 4 of his 7 three-point attempts, capitalizing on Detroit’s tendency to pack the paint and daring Boston’s shooters to make them pay.

But when the game tightened late, Hauser became a non-factor.

He did not attempt a single shot during seven fourth quarter minutes, a quiet finish that stood out in a one-point loss.

Against elite defenses like Detroit’s, those windows don’t stay open long, and Boston never found him when it mattered most.

Boston finishes its road trip at 2-2 and returns home to face the Pacers on Wednesday night.

But the broader takeaway hasn’t changed.

If these two teams meet again in May, the Eastern Conference may well be decided in a series that looks exactly like Monday night - close, physical, and unforgiving.

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Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.