It’s looking more and more likely that the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics will finish fourth and fifth in the Eastern Conference and will meet in the first round of the playoffs – in whichever order. They meet for the third time this regular season on Friday with the Celtics as home NBA betting favorites.
How to Bet Pacers vs Celtics NBA Odds & Game Info
“It’s a big game, it’s a huge game for what we’re trying to do,” said @yungsmoove21 of Friday’s meeting with the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/8I3q2FixP3
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) 28 de marzo de 2019
- When: Friday, 7 PM ET
- Where: TD Garden
- TV: NBA TV
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Odds: Boston Celtics -6.5 (Total 213.5)
Season Series
Split 1-1, with each team winning at home. The one in Boston was a Celtics 135-108 blowout, the worst road loss of the season for the Pacers. Marcus Morris led the Celtics with 22 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds while Jaylen Brown also added 22 points and seven boards off the bench. Jayson Tatum netted 20 points. The Pacers were led by Domantas Sabonis and his 20 points. All-time at home, Boston leads this series 61-27.
Why Bet on Indiana?
I wouldn’t with the Pacers on the road – they have dropped nine straight away from home. The last time the Pacers lost nine consecutive road games was the 2010-11 season (Dec. 1 through Jan. 8). On Wednesday, it was a 107-99 defeat at Oklahoma City. OKC star and former Pacer Paul George scored seven of his 31 points during a decisive 24-0 run. The Thunder slogged through the first half and trailed by nine at the break. By the end of the third quarter, they led 76-69.
The Pacers scored at 10:48 of the third quarter and didn’t score again until the 3:57 mark. They missed 14 consecutive shots during that 24-0 burst by Oklahoma City, the longest run without a point allowed in the NBA this season. Indiana is 28-2 when scoring 110 or more points and 23-3 when shooting 50 percent or better from the field. Conversely, the Pacers are 4-15 when they score fewer than 100 points and 0-8 when they shoot under 40.
Bojan Bogdanovic had a team-high 28 points, four assists, and two rebounds, making 11-of-20 shots with a 6-of-9 mark from deep in the loss. He has played every game this season, joining Thad Young and Cory Joseph as the only Pacers to do so.
Domantas Sabonis notched 18 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and one block in 31 minutes. Sabonis recorded his 24th double-double of the season. He is now tied with Hassan Whiteside and Enes Kanter for most double-doubles off the bench in a single season since 2000. Myles Turner finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds, giving him 15 double-doubles this season.
Darren Collison (quad) returned to action on Wednesday with eight points, six assists, three rebounds, two 3-pointers and one steal in 24 minutes. Collison made 3-of-10 field goals and didn’t get to the free throw line. He was coming off a three-game absence.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 107.76
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.45
- Three-Point Percentage: 37.23
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.41
- Total Rebounds: 43.17
Defense
- Total Score: 103.99
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.86
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.38
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.32
- Total Rebounds: 43.39
Why Bet on Boston?
The Celtics snapped a four-game slide Tuesday with a 116-106 win in Cleveland without Kyrie Irving. The Celtics let a 12-point lead slip away but took over after the Cavaliers tied the game early in the final period. Boston ended the game with a 24-14 run sparked by three-point plays from Marcus Smart and Marcus Morris to pull away. Smart notched 21 points on 8-of-14 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line.
Irving was rested but he’ll play in this important game. Irving is currently averaging 23.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 7.1 assists on the season and is one of just three players across the NBA this season to record at least 23 points, five rebounds and seven assists per game joining James Harden and LeBron James.
Terry Rozier made a fill-in start vs. the Cavaliers with 11 points (5-of-13 FGs), five rebounds, two assists, two steals and a triple in 29 minutes. Al Horford (knee) returned from a two-game absence to score 19 points on 7-of-10 from the field. Horford added eight rebounds, five assists and a block in 27 minutes. Brad Stevens said that Aron Baynes will at times start alongside Al Horford depending on the matchup. Stevens said the Baynes-Horford frontcourt pairing makes for their best defensive lineup.
Jayson Tatum (back) returned from a one-game absence with 21 points (9-of-17 FGs), five rebounds, four assists, one steal and three triples in 34 minutes. He scored all 21 of his points in the first half but he was scoreless with three missed shots in the second.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 112.57
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.50
- Three-Point Percentage: 36.35
- Free Throw Percentage: 80.41
- Total Rebounds: 44.57
Defense
- Total Score: 108.00
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.94
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.26
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.41
- Total Rebounds: 45.84
Pacers vs Celtics NBA Betting Trends
- Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Boston
- Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings
- Indiana is 1-8 ATS in its last 9 games on the road
- Indiana is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Indiana’s last 8 games on the road
- Boston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home
- Boston is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Boston’s last 7 games at home
Expert Final Prediction for Pacers vs Celtics
Indiana Pacers 102 – Boston Celtics 107
