The TD Garden is the sight of tonight's Eastern Conference match-up, as the Indiana Pacers visit the Boston Celtics. It is time to continue our NBA odds series with a Pacers-Celtics prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Celtics became the second team in the NBA this year to hit the 50-win marker, downing the Sacramento Kings 132-109 in Sacramento on Tuesday night. Led by Jayson Tatum's 36-point performance, Boston dominated the game en route to the win. Indiana comes into tonight fighting for their playoff lives. Currently sitting a game and a half back of Chicago for that tenth and final playoff spot, Indiana just beat the Toronto Raptors on the road led by Andrew Nemhard. Tonight they make the trip to Boston hoping to make it two wins in a row.
Here are the Pacers-Celtics NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Pacers-Celtics Odds
Indiana Pacers: +12.5 (-112)
Boston Celtics: -12.5 (-108)
Over: 234.5 (-110)
Under: 234.5 (-110)
How To Watch Pacers vs. Celtics
TV: NBA TV / NBC Sports Boston / Bally Sports Indiana
Stream: NBA League Pass
Time: ET/PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Pacers Could Cover The Spread
The Pacers are currently averaging 115.9 points per game on the season, 11th in the NBA. With a field goal percentage that sits at 46.7%, in the bottom third of the league, Indiana is led by Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, and Buddy Hield. Three-point shooting has been one of the offensive keys for this Pacers squad. They are currently seventh in the NBA in three-pointers made per game, at 13.8 threes made per game. They are led by Heild in that regard, with 3.6 three-pointers per game. This contributes to his 17.1 points per game, which is third on the team.
Tyrese Haliburton is the leader of this team overall. He has 10.4 assists per game, which is second in the NBA. His scoring is 36th in the NBA at 20.8 points per game but leads the team. He is currently listed as doubtful for this match though, meaning that the Pacers will need to replace his production. Against the Raptors, it was Nembhard that replaced Haliburton. He had a season-high 25 points while adding ten assists. Nembhard has played very well in the six games without Haliburton, with three 20 points games in there, but his assist total has not been the same overall, and his two-point game crippled the offense against the Hornets.
The Pacers have not been stellar on the defensive end of the court. They have a negative point differential overall, struggle, and they are toward the bottom of the league in rebounds. Indiana's defensive struggles also grow away from home, as the point differential is over three points different on the road than at home this year. Their overall -2.3 points per game differential are 25th in the league, and much of this is due to their -3.6 rebound differential, which is third to last.
Why The Celtics Could Cover The Spread
Where the Pacers are good, the Celtics are better. The Pacers are a solid three-point shooting team, but the Celtics average four more three-pointers per game than the opposition, second in the league. In the assists category, the Pacers on average have more assists than their opposition, but the Celtics are fourth in the league there. The Celtics also have two premier scoring threats with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Both players average over 26 points per game and are both top 11 in the league in terms of scoring.
Off the bench, the Celtics can rely on Malcolm Brogdon, who is third on the team with 14.5 points. He also contributed on the boards with 4.2 rebounds per game and had 3.6 assists per game. The Celtics also have multiple guys who can set up the offense and are not reliant on a singular player in that regard. Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, and Derrick White all average over four assists per game.
The high assist totals also pair with the Celtics taking care of the ball. Every player on the roster has a positive assist-to-turnover ratio, led by Al Horford who has 5.4 assists to every turnover. The Celtics are sixth in the NBA in turnovers per game. Boston has also been strong defensively. Jaylen Brown is averaging 1.2 steals per game, Marcus Smart has 1.5 steals, and Tatum has 1.0 steals per game. The overall forced turnover numbers do not tell the full story, they do not let up second-chance opportunities, and hold opponents to a 46.5% shooting average from the field.
Final Pacers-Celtics Prediction & Pick
As good as the Celtics are, the Pacers have been finding fight in them. Boston has fallen off a little since their hot start to the season, but they are still one of the best teams in the NBA. The Pacers are 5-5 in their last ten games, and three of the losses have been closer than this spread. The last match-up between the two was a win for the Celtics by four in Boston, and even though Haliburton may not be playing in this one, the number is too big.
Final Pacers-Celtics Prediction & Pick: Pacers +12.5 (-112)
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