Kevin Garnett [right thigh bruise] will not play against the Pacers. Rasheed Wallace will start in his place. According to the team, the decision was a precautionary one made by head coach Doc Rivers.

The move to give Garnett “strategic rest” was made in an effort to have the star ready for their Christmas Day game in Orlando on Friday afternoon.

Tuesday’s game, the 27th of the season, marks the first time the Celtics have had a different lineup.

BOSTON – Marquis Daniels will travel with the Celtics to Orlando tomorrow but does not expect to join the team for their West Coast road trip.

Daniels, who is recovering from a torn ligament in his left thumb, will join the Cs for Friday’s game against the Magic. The trip is significant for the Orlando native because his family will be in the arena. He is also hosting a community event there.

“I’m very happy to go home and get the chance to see my mom,” he said prior to the Celtics-Pacers game. “My little brother’s home from college. My oldest brother will be there. My kids and my wife will be down there so it’ll be a good time.”

Daniels will receive final confirmation from the team on Wednesday but not anticipate he will travel with the Celtics for their three-game roadtrip, which kicks off Sunday in Los Angeles against the Clippers. He plans to return to Boston to continue his rehab. Daniels has been focusing on cardio and leg exercises. He has also been lifting free weights with his right hand.

Daniels is scheduled to be re-evaluated on January 8.

Way back on Nov. 14, Danhtay Jones had a career night. This came as a bit of a surprise to various members of the Celtics, who were still shaking their collective heads several days after Jones burned them for 25 points in their only road loss of the season. Jones is not known as a scorer in any meaningful way, but at that moment in time he was in the midst of the best offensive month of his career, averaging 17.5 points and shooting over 46 percent from the floor.

Jones has returned to his regular ways in December (8.5 points per, 40 percent shooting), and his Pacers team has crash-landed along with him. It would be wrong to pin all that on him, of course. Jones is a small piece of his team, but it speaks to the danger of over-reacting to one game or one month.

Over the first 16 games of the season Rasheed Wallace took 146 shots and 96 of them were 3-pointers. In other words, two thirds of the shots that Sheed took were from beyond the arc. That would be Jason Kapono territory, but not even Kapono would take that many. Over the last 10 games Wallace has greatly cut back on his 3-point attempts, launching “just” 41 percent of his from 3-point range. The result is a much more efficient second unit that has a certified low-post option at its disposal.

All of which is to say that while it’s folly to place hope in veteran players like Jones becoming something they are not, it is possible to get different results from veteran players like Wallace by simply changing their approach.

CELTICS (21-5, 9-1 last 10)

Points Per Game: 101.5

Points Allowed: 91.9

Differential: 9.5 (First)

Offensive Efficiency: 110.4 (Sixth)

Defensive Efficiency: 100.0 (Second)

Pace: 91.3 (23rd)

Likely Starters: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins

Injuries: Glen Davis (thumb), Marquis Daniels (wrist)

PACERS (9-17, 3-7 last 10)

Points Per Game: 97. 4

Points Allowed: 101.2

Differential: -3.8 (T-24th)

Offensive Efficiency: 1007.7 (26th)

Defensive Efficiency: 104.6 (10th)

Pace: 96.7 (Second)

Likely Starters: Earl Watson, Dahntay Jones, Mike Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Roy Hibbert

Injuries: Danny Granger (foot), Travis Diener (toe), Jeff Foster (back)

Key Matchup: Kevin Garnett vs. Troy Murphy (more…)

It’s easy to gain a few extra pounds during the holiday season. Be honest — how many cookies have crossed your path this month?

Davis has to watch his weight while injured.

While some people give themselves a free pass for sneaking in sugary sweets, not everyone can simply vow to hit the gym in January.

Take Glen Davis for example. After slimming down this summer thanks in part to a newfound interest in mixed martial arts, he committed himself to maintaining his weight during the season. The task seems even more daunting this month, though, considering Davis has not played in a game since breaking his right thumb in late October.

So how does Big Baby avoid the big calories of holiday treats?

Davis has hired a personal chef to cook nutritional meals this season. He is not limited to a daily caloric intake and keeps the pounds off by following a dedicated workout routine during his rehab. Davis explained to WEEI.com how he has adapted his diet to stay thin without being on the court. (And yes, he can sneak a cookie, too.)

A Disciplined Diet: “I’ll eat an egg white omelet topped with a piece of French toast, carbs, protein [for breakfast]. Then I’ll lift, work out, do a lot of cardio. I have proportional meals so now I cut my lunch into half and then I eat it three hours later. I eat the other half three hours later, and I eat dinner, and I work out.”

"They're so good, so good."

Finding New Favorites: “[I eat] steak or fish [for dinner]. And roasted vegetables. I’ve been falling in love with roasted sweet potatoes. They’re so good, so good. I could eat them all day, roasted vegetables.”

Recognizing the Enemy: “Some times you do [pick at food], but it’s not about picking. It’s about binging, like eating ridiculous amounts of cookies. That’s when you get in trouble.”

You Don’t Have to Sacrifice: “I would have to say I really haven’t given up anything. With a chef, they find multiple ways of cooking healthy meals. Like my chef, she cooks these healthy cookies that are unbelievable. It’s like banana chip something. It’s delicious. Everything’s organic in it, she uses no sugar. They taste delicious. But I don’t eat a lot of them. I eat like two of them.”

In September, Davis speculated that he had lost between 20-25 pounds. He currently is listed at 289 pounds.

As part of his Q6 Foundation, Marquis Daniels is scheduled to help families in need on Wednesday in his hometown of Orlando. (The Celtics will play the Magic on Friday.) Daniels will present 25 pre-selected families with gift cards to purchase food, clothing, and toys for the holidays. The event will be held at the J.R. Smith Recreation Center.

Daniels formed the Q6 Foundation to provide funds for underprivileged children. The foundation also aims to raise awareness and funding for health issues, such as sickle cell anemia. Visit www.theq6foundation.com for more information.

WALTHAM  –  Paul Pierce can laugh about the dark days now. But three seasons ago, when he was captain of a team languishing through a 24-win season, it wasn’t so easy.

It was after that season, and just before the acquisitions of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, that Pierce thought his marriage to the Celtics, and specifically, the Doc Rivers’ system, was headed for divorce.

“Early years, I was almost close to divorce but I didn’t have my pre-nup in place so I had to think twice,” Pierce joked on Monday. “It was cheaper to keep her.”

“I don’t know who that is,” Rivers said when asked if he remembers the Paul Pierce from his first season coaching the Celtics in 2004-05. “The one here is amazing. He’s an amazing person. He’s older, he’s more mature. He’s just solid. He’s a solid player.”

But after a 2008 NBA title and a 62-win season last year, Pierce is smitten once again with the Celtics and the Rivers’ system of Ubuntu.

“Put it this way, you’ve been with a girl for five years and you break up with her,” Pierce said. ” Then you have a new girlfriend, you’ve got to get used to each other because the last girlfriend, you knew everything about her, you’ve been together for so long so you’re going to make a lot of different mistakes and have a lot of different arguments.” (more…)

BOSTON – Lester Hudson only played three games for the Maine Red Claws but his short time in the NBA Development League was beneficial.

The rookie was assigned to the Celtics D-League affiliate on December 15 and recalled just five days later to fill out the Cs roster. During that short span Hudson averaged 16.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game, including a 25-point debut performance.

“I learned a lot,” he told WEEI.com on Sunday. “I learned a lot about the pick-and-roll, team defense. Those were things my coach, (head coach) Doc [Rivers] and (President of Basketball Operations) Danny [Ainge] told me to work on so I tried to work on that and I think I got a little better at that. (more…)