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The 6-seed Indiana Pacers head to Beantown to meet the mighty 1-seed Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday. Tip-off from TD Garden is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Pacers vs. Celtics odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
The Pacers advanced to their first conference finals in 10 years after smoking the New York Knicks 130-109 in Game 7. The Pacers could not miss, shooting 29 for 38 (76.3%) at one point in the first half. G Tyrese Haliburton led the offensive barrage with 26 points and 6 assists while shooting 6 for 12 from 3-point land. He was a big story in the Eastern semis as he had just 6 points in Game 1. He was dealing with back spasms, and he can still be seen wearing a back compression brace on the bench, but he averaged 23.8 PPG in Games 2-7.
The Celtics have been chillin’ since dispatching of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games Wednesday. F Jayson Tatum averaged 26.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG and 6.2 APG in the series. Boston will be without C Kristaps Porzingis (calf) for at least the first 2 games. C Al Horford went off for 22 points, 15 boards, 5 assists and six 3-pointers in their Game 5 win over Cleveland. It’ll be different matching up with C Myles Turner, who is big and athletic. He also shot 48.3% from distance in their semifinal, which will also test Horford’s 37-year-old legs.
Pacers at Celtics odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:37 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Pacers +340 (bet $100 to win $340) | Celtics -450 (bet $450 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Pacers +9.5 (-105) | Celtics -9.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 220.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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Pacers at Celtics key injuries
Pacers
- G Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) out
Celtics
- C Kristaps Porzingis (calf) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
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Pacers at Celtics picks and predictions
Prediction
Celtics 118, Pacers 115
Moneyline
The Pacers are a prolific offense at 123.3 PPG during the regular season, but Boston was 2nd at 120.6. The Celtics went 64-18 during the regular season and 3-2 against Indiana.
A key matchup in this series will be Haliburton vs. one of the best on-ball defenders in the league in G Jrue Holiday. Haliburton averaged just 15.8 PPG and 9 APG in 4 slates against Boston this year.
The Celtics have lost 2 games in the postseason, and each of them were Game 2 at home. Keep that in mind for Thursday. They get it done in Game 1, but they are priced way out of range. Instead, I look for MYLES TURNER OVER 1.5 3-POINTERS (-140) to cash. Turner had 2+ 3’s in 5 of 7 games last series.
Against the spread
I like the Pacers to cover here, and I fully expect Porzingis’ absence to be felt. F Pascal Siakam‘s endurance will be tested as the Pacers need his scoring, but he’ll also be matched up on Tatum. The longer this series goes, the more dangerous Indiana becomes because they score at an elite level.
Take the PACERS +9.5 (-105).
Over/Under
The Celtics averaged 108.4 PPG in the 5 games against the Cavs last round. The Pacers averaged 115.3 PPG in their 7-game series against the Knicks last round.
This total went Over in 4 of 5 meetings this season, and the 1 time it missed, the game had 219 points. I look for a bit of a track meet early on to push this one OVER 220.5 (-115).
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