Free NBA Pick: Pacers vs. Celtics NBA Odds
Looking for Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics free NBA picks & NBA Odds? NBA betting sees the Pacers taking on the Celtics on Tuesday, May 21st, at TD Garden, Boston. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Pacers Celtics matchup.
2024 NBA Playoffs Handicapping Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics
(0-0) Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics (0-0)
Date: Tuesday, May 21st
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Moneyline NBA Odds: Pacers +400 | Celtics -425 (Bet Now!)
NBA ATS Betting Odds: Celtics -10
Today’s NBA Betting Total (O/U): 221.5
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Tuesday serves up the first match of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics.
The Pacers arrive having defeated the New York Knicks 130-109 in a series that went the distance while the Celtics delivered a gentleman’s sweep versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Season Series
In history, the Celtics own the advantage of winning 109 of the club’s 194 meetings. Last season the teams played three times with Boston taking two of the three contests.
In an oddity, these teams played five times this season because they met in the In-Season Tournament with the Pacers being victorious although the Celtics took this season’s series 3-2.
This is the seventh postseason meeting between the clubs with Boston ahead 4-2 including their last meeting in 2019 when the Celtics swept the Pacers although both teams have made substantial roster changes since then.
*Editor’s Note: Statistics and rankings are current as of this writing, Monday, May 20th. Numbers may vary slightly entering games on Tuesday, May 21st.
Indiana Pacers
Although the Pacers got the benefit of facing teams missing core players the same can be said of their opponent. Offense has vaulted this team into the Conference Finals but they’ve also improved defensively.
Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam will be the key players Boston focuses their defensive attention on, however, the depth of the Pacers is a major advantage for Indy.
Defending the perimeter will be key in this matchup given how many 3-pointers the Celtics get up, but similarly, Boston will need to be cognizant of defending Indy who has five players shooting between 37.5% and 50% in the postseason.
Pacers Stats
During the season, Indiana possessed the second-ranked offense (120.5) however, their defense lacked something to be desired as it ranked 24th (117.6) while their net differential of plus +2.9 registered 10th overall.
To this point in the postseason the Pacers rank first offensively (121.7), and 13th defensively (118.1) with a plus +3.6 net differential ranking fifth.
The Pacers began the season strong and remained one of the better bets against the spread with a 51-42-3 record through 96 matches.
Pacers Injury Report
To summarize the injury report…
- Bennedict Mathurin, SF (OUT for season — shoulder)
Boston Celtics
It’s been a relatively easy road to the Conference Finals for the Celtics. Like the Pacers, they faced teams missing core players but in Boston’s case, the players who were sidelined were the top players on each squad.
Jayson Tatum and Jayson Brown will provide the key defensive attention although their starters are all capable of leading the scoring. Derrick White began the postseason on fire shooting lights out from deep but struggled against the Cavaliers.
Kristaps Porzingis remains sidelined expected to miss at least the initial two games which means Al Horford will have his hands full facing the myriad of bigs on Indiana.
Celtics Stats
Boston ranked first offensively (122.2) and was second defensively (110.6) while registering a net differential of plus +111.7 which also ranked first overall.
Through the postseason, the Celtics rank second offensively (118.9) and third defensively (106.1) with a plus +12.8 net differential that ranks first overall. .
In terms of the Celtics’ performance against the spread, they offer a 47-40-5 record through 92 matches.
Celtics Injury Report
To summarize the injury report…
- Kristaps Porzingis, PF (OUT indefinitely — calf)
- Xavier Tillman, PF (questionable — personal)
NBA Bettors we want to hear from you. Comment below. Give us your Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics NBA picks!
Pacers vs. Celtics NBA Betting Trends:
- All in all, the Pacers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 13 of Indiana’s last 18 games.
- Also, the Pacers are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games against Boston.
- By comparison, Boston is 7-1 SU in their last 8 games.
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boston’s last 6 games.
- Additionally, the Celtics are 17-3 SU in their last 20 games at home.
Free Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics NBA Prediction:
This is an intriguing series featuring the top two offensive teams of the playoffs. Boston has been idle for almost a week (May 15th) so has a major rest advantage.
Boston is the heavy favorite to win the series but shouldn’t take the enthusiastic Pacers for granted. Indy just came out of two series where they faced physicality and aggressive defense so they arrive potentially better prepared for this series.
Some key areas to keep an eye on are the glass (Celtics perform slightly better), points scored off transition, second-chance points, and points in the paint. Indy performs better in the latter three categories, especially scoring in the paint with nearly 10 points more scored per game (51.2 – 41.8).
Rest versus rust could define the opening match but the key concern is the Celtics’ penchant for playing with their food. If they take the Pacers for granted it could be a disaster for Boston.
Indy just smacked the Knicks in MSG no less and took that game right from the tip. Therefore, it’s inherent the Celtics are focused for a full 48 minutes or they’ll risk coughing up home-court advantage.
Despite the Celtics’ overall talent and two-way strength, I think this series could go six or seven with Indy giving them everything they can handle. The Pacers have no pressure on them – – they’ve already overachieved making them a scary opponent.
I’m betting Indy will take one of the two games in Boston and this opening match feels like their best bet.
4* Free Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics NBA Betting Pick: Pacers +10
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