The Celtics didn’t shoot well Monday night in Indiana.

They didn’t have Jaylen Brown.

Yet they still positioned themselves to win late.

Instead, Pascal Siakam struck the decisive blow, hitting a short jumper with 6.1 seconds remaining to give the Pacers a 98-96 victory and Boston its third loss in four games. Derrick White’s last-second three missed, ending a frustratingly close contest.

Boston fell to 24-15. Indiana, still buried at the bottom of the East, improved to 9-31.

Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ narrow loss in Indy:

The Celtics got the looks they wanted. They just didn’t get the results.

Boston shot 9 for 35 from beyond the arc (25.7%), while Indiana converted 16 of 37 (43.2%).

That difference alone typically determines outcomes, yet the Celtics were in contention late by dominating elsewhere.

Boston owned the paint (54-38) and dominated second-chance points (16-6). They defended persistently and rebounded forcefully. They created offense beyond jump shots.

Achieving all this without Brown made the loss more painful. Boston would have won if even a few extra open threes had fallen.

The Celtics are now 2-1 in games Brown has missed this season, and Pritchard has been central to all of them.

He led Boston with 23 points and 8 assists, including 11 in the third quarter as the Celtics dug out after Indiana’s 20-4 run. His offense keeps Boston afloat without their top scorer.

Even in defeat, this was another reminder:

Pritchard isn’t just logging minutes, he’s shaping stretches of games.

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With Brown out and Sam Hauser sidelined, Boston again shuffled its wings.

Baylor Scheierman, typically not in the starting lineup, got his first start of the season at the wing position. He played 20 minutes but contributed just 2 points. That’s a far cry from the performance he gave on Saturday night in a loss to the Spurs (27-12).

Jordan Walsh, also playing on the wing, made a bigger impact with 6 points and 9 rebounds and finished the game alongside the starters.

Hugo Gonzalez, another wing, continued to see meaningful minutes.

This isn’t a criticism as much as an observation:

The Celtics are still searching for consistency among their backup wings. That stability is needed more when injuries force rotation changes - and right now, that’s the case.

Last week, the Celtics surged into the No. 2 spot in the East.

Now, they’ve dropped three of their last four, all tight games decided late against Denver (26-13), San Antonio, and Indiana. None were blowouts. All exposed thin margins when offense stalls and stars are missing.

And it doesn’t get easier.

Boston is in the midst of a four-game road swing, with Miami (20-19) next, followed by Atlanta (21-20) and East-leading Detroit (28-10). This stretch will challenge depth, execution, and Boston’s ability to regain stability without pressing.

Monday’s loss wasn’t alarming.

But it was revealing.

As the Celtics move forward, these are the types of games where health, shooting variance, and role clarity will become critical - and where tightening up could make all the difference before close losses turn into something more concerning.

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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.