Boston Celtics (4-0, second in the Eastern Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (1-3, 13th in the Eastern Conference)
Indianapolis; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EDT
Advertisement
BOTTOM LINE: Eastern Conference foes Indiana and Boston take the court.
Indiana finished 47-35 overall, 32-20 in Eastern Conference play and 26-15 at home during the 2023-24 season. The Pacers averaged 7.7 steals, 5.9 blocks and 12.3 turnovers per game last season.
Boston went 64-18 overall and 41-11 in Eastern Conference action during the 2023-24 season. The Celtics averaged 120.6 points per game last season, 47.0 in the paint, 15.5 off of turnovers and 15.3 on fast breaks.
INJURIES: Pacers: Johnny Furphy: out (throat), James Wiseman: out (calf).
Celtics: Sam Hauser: day to day (back), Kristaps Porzingis: out (foot).
Advertisement
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Tech entrepreneur Paul English knows that ponying up $1 million will make just about anyone pay attention.
He saw it firsthand in 2017 when he proposed kick-starting a Martin Luther King memorial to then-mayor Marty Walsh. The end result: The Embrace, a memorial on the Boston Common honoring King and wife Coretta Scott King that was finished in 2023.
Now, English is trying to work some of that million-dollar magic with a new mayor, Michelle Wu. And this time, it’s to help Boston Public Schools. (English is a proud Boston Latin School alum.) On Thursday, English joined Wu, schools superintendent Mary Skipper, and UMass Boston chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco at the Eliot K-8 Innovation Upper School to announce his latest venture: $1 million to train 25 teachers, one at each BPS high school, this summer in AI. The teachers would share what they learned with students in their respective schools.
Get Starting Point
Advertisement
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
It started out with a seemingly innocuous question, posed last year by Boston magazine to 21 prominent local leaders: If you were mayor of Boston, what’s the one thing you would do to improve the city?
For English, the answer was simple: ensure every kid who graduates BPS is proficient in AI. After the article was published, English said he heard from colleagues in the tech scene, from as far away as California, that he was on to something.
So he drafted a conceptual AI proficiency plan and reached out to Wu about it in January, agreeing to donate $1 million to get it going.
The next step is drawing up the curriculum for the teachers who will attend the sessions at UMass Boston, where English founded an AI center. Toward that end, English is working with Ellen Rubin at Glasswings Ventures to establish an advisory board of industry experts. Topics will include AI ethics, hallucinations, and using AI to improve the classroom experience.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, English said he’s reaching out to OpenAI and to Anthropic to ask them to donate computing resources. “If I were them, it’s a no brainer,” English said. “Boston’s the first [major] city in the country to do this. Why wouldn’t they be on the ground floor.”
It’s the latest example of how English is trying to give back to the community where he grew up. He made most of his millions through the sale of travel firm Kayak to Booking Holdings in 2013, and is currently developing consumer apps with his Boston Venture Studio.
A million-dollar pledge is a sign to be taken seriously. It helped open the doors with Walsh, and he believes it did so with Wu as well.
“It’s not an extraordinary amount of money,” English said. “But in the big picture, they pay attention.”
This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston’s business scene.
Advertisement
Jon Chesto can be reached at jon.chesto@globe.com. Follow him @jonchesto.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 01: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics reacts in the first quarter during their game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on November 01, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
Advertisement
On Sunday night, the Boston Celtics played the Charlotte Hornets in North Carolina.
The Celtics won by a score of 114-99.
Boston Celtics Star Jayson Tatum Made History
GettyFOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 26: Jayson Tatum, player of Boston Celtics looks on prior to the international friendly match between Brazil and France at Gillette Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Jayson Tatum finished the win with 32 points, five rebounds, eight assists and one block while shooting 12/23 from the field and 5/10 from three-point range in 31 minutes of playing time.
Tatum also made history during the game.
Advertisement
Celtics Stats wrote: “Jayson Tatum scored his 14,000th career point tonight at Charlotte, becoming the ninth player in franchise history to reach that mark.”
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 06: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks on during the second quarter at TD Garden on March 06, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Tatum is now averaging 20.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.1 steals per contest while shooting 39.9% from the field and 32.3% from three-point range in 11 games this season.
Celtics Stats added: “Jayson Tatum recorded a season-high 32 points tonight at Charlotte. It marked his 16th career game with at least 30 points without committing a turnover – the most in franchise history.”
GettyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 02: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics dunks against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of the game at Spectrum Center on November 02, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Celtics After Hornets Victory
GettyDETROIT, MICHIGAN – OCTOBER 26: Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics looks on against the Detroit Pistons during the second quarter at Little Caesars Arena on October 26, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
With their win over the Hornets, the Celtics improved to 50-24 in 74 games, which has them as the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
They are in the middle of a three-game winning streak (and have won seven out of their last ten).
Advertisement
On the road, the Celtics have gone 24-13.
Following the Hornets, they will play their next game on Monday night when they visit the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena in Georgia.
GettyBOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – MARCH 08: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics talks with head coach Joe Mazzulla during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at TD Garden on March 08, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Celtics defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 111-101. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
With Tatum playing like himself, the Celtics will have a real chance to win their second title in three years.
They are coming off a year where they lost to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Hornets After Boston Loss
GettyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 26: (R-L) LaMelo Ball #1 talks with Moussa Diabate #14 of the Charlotte Hornets in the second half against the New York Knicks during their game at Spectrum Center on March 26, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)
The Hornets dropped to 39-36 in 75 games, which has them as the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference.
Advertisement
They are in the middle of a two-game losing skid (but have won seven out of ten).
Ben Stinar Ben Stinar has been covering the NBA for over seven years.
He has written for OnSI, Forbes, Amico Hoops, The Big Lead and had a podcast with former All-Star Jameer Nelson. More about Ben Stinar
HERE’S (*WAY TO WATCH*) Minnesota Wild VS Boston Bruins Ｆｒｅｅ LIVE 2026-03-29 Rose Bowl Parade 2026 live: Rose Bowl Parade 2026 look to seize control of thrilling Rose Bowl Parade 2026. Every team in the Rose Bowl Parade 2026 has two wins apiece as we go into the final two game weeks. Rose Bowl Parade 2026 will host Rose Bowl Parade 2026 at Live NHL mAtch Durban’s Kings Park Stadium with the Rose Bowl Parade 2026 a single point ahead of Rose Bowl Parade 2026 in the standings and just one behind leaders Rose Bowl Parade 2026.
![!$+∇√$[+[!LIVESTREAMs!]+] Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins Live Free Streams On Tv Channel 2026-03-29](https://i2.wp.com/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn%3AANd9GcReQZPBURuIIuh0fPF6YTAqOY-y1_BeWJWzPA&s&ssl=1 "!$+∇√$[+[!LIVESTREAMs!]+] Minnesota Wild vs Boston Bruins Live Free Streams On Tv Channel 2026-03-29")
