INDIANAPOLIS — Better late than never, perhaps. Kyrie Irving (23), Al Horford (21) and Gordon Hayward (25) all broke 20 points in the same game during Wednesday’s win in Miami, and somewhere back in Danny Ainge’s original blueprint, this is how it was supposed to work.

The result sets up a delicious scenario Friday night in Indianapolis, with the Celtics and Pacers tied for the Eastern Conference’s fourth playoff seed. But more than that, it may be a sign that the Celtics are finally finding themselves.

Some combination of the above three players, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Morris were expected to be the elements in one of the NBA’s truly superior offensive forces. It’s rarely worked out that way.

But now that Hayward appears to be rounding into form just in time for the postseason, maybe things are about to change. It was the nature of Hayward’s performance, with lots of attacking, 12-for-13 free-throw shooting and 3-for-5 3-point efficiency, that points to something approximating the old, pre-injury Hayward.

“Oh, it’s night and day, I believe,” Horford said of the difference in Hayward’s confidence. “I just think that not only is he starting to understand what he wants to do and he’s feeling good, but also us. We are starting to understand how to play with Gordon a little more. When the ball is in his hands, usually good things happen, and we just need him to continue to play with that confidence.”

The same things get said about Horford, who may now have the luxury of playing with another play-making forward.

Irving believes that Hayward is only now starting to feel comfortable inside his own game and body again.

“I think it’s been a trying season for all of us, but him individually, I think coming back from an injury like he did, it’s well-documented,” said Irving. “I think he’s just trying things now and doing it with more confidence, and getting to the lane and getting fouled, really understanding his size again, where he’s 6-foot-9, able to post guys up, able to come off screen-and-rolls and make great decisions.”

Of all Hayward’s skills, his playmaking has probably been the most consistent. But Irving has been waiting for Hayward the scorer to emerge.

“We’re best when he’s looking for his shot. He’s a great facilitator. But we need G to score,” said Irving. “I told him that, and I’m going to keep telling him to stay aggressive and be him and really be that 20-point scorer that he was. That takes a lot of pressure off me where I don’t have to handle the ball as much and I can be kind of floating around the perimeter and cutting backdoor and just doing the little things that I can do to affect the game other than just having the ball in my hands and trying to score.”

One of the most encouraging signs for Hayward is an increased willingness to challenge opposing big men, like Miami’s Bam Adebayo and Hassan Whiteside, with frequent trips to the free-throw line the main fruit of those efforts.

“It certainly opens things up when guys are attacking the rim,” said Hayward. “Guys get open 3s on the perimeter or slash cuts, things like that. Any time you get easy buckets at the line, easy points, you have to take it.

“Just trying to get to the line is a concerted effort, but there’s also a little more explosiveness for me,” he said. “Doing all the exercises are paying off, also just having more reps, also more time from the injury is all helping.”

His timing has also improved, as evidenced by these increased trips to the line.

“Finishing is something I’m working on a lot, and something I worked on before the injury,” said Hayward. “Some of the timing is there, and it’s deciding when to go up and challenge bigs, when to kick out, different things like that.”

PELICANS: All-Star forward Anthony Davis has been fined $15,000 by the NBA for directing an obscene gesture toward a fan.

NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Kiki VanDeWeghe says Davis made the offending gesture as he left the court following the Pelicans’ 115-109 loss to the Charlotte Hornets in New Orleans on Wednesday night.

• A person familiar with the process says the team has begun interviewing candidates to become the new general manager.

The source said the list of candidates includes interim general manager Danny Ferry, as well as former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin, Golden State assistant GM Larry Harris, Brooklyn Nets assistant GM Trajan Langdon, Houston Rockets assistant GM Gersson Rosas and interim Washington president of basketball operations Tommy Sheppard.

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