It’s now crystal clear that the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers will finish fourth and fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. In which order? That could be largely determined by who wins Friday’s night’s big game, with the Celtics as slight NBA betting favorites.
How to Bet Celtics vs Pacers NBA Odds & Game Info
🎥 “Tomorrow is about getting home court,” Coach McMillan said after practice. pic.twitter.com/1NQAfXlto4
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) 4 de abril de 2019
- When: Friday, 8 PM ET
- Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Odds: Indiana Pacers -1.5 (Total 214.5)
Season Series
Boston leads 2-1, winning both at home. They last met on March 29 in Boston and the Celtics prevailed 114-112. Kyrie Irving laid the ball in the basket with 0.5 seconds left for the game-winning layup. Irving finished with a game-high 30 points to go along with five assists and three steals while Al Horford added 19 points, seven boards, and three blocks. Aron Baynes recorded his first double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The Pacers were led by Bojan Bogdanovic and his 27 points while Thaddeus Young added 18 points and nine boards. Myles Turner added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Should the Celtics win this game, they would own the crucial head-to-head tiebreaker.
Why Bet on Boston?
The Celtics might be turning it around in having won two straight and four of five. They completed a home-and-home sweep of the Heat with a 112-102 win in Miami on Wednesday. Boston led for the overwhelming majority of the first three quarters — the Heat led for 5:36 of those 36 minutes, yet the Celtics never really seemed in full control of the game until the final moments.
Al Horford scored 21 and Jayson Tatum scored nine of his 16 points in the fourth quarter for the Celtics, who went on a 10-2 run over a decisive three-minute late stretch to turn a two-point lead into a 10-point edge.
Gordon Hayward came off the bench on Wednesday for 25 points (5-of-10 FGs, 12-of-13 FTs), eight rebounds, five assists, three 3-pointers, one steal and one block on Wednesday. It was the sixth consecutive double-figure scoring game for Hayward, his longest such streak of the season. Kyrie Irving had 23 points and Aron Baynes had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Boston.
Jaylen Brown missed his second consecutive game with back spasms, and Marcus Morris was out with a sore left knee. Morris has played in 73 games this year, starting in 53 of them. Recently, Brad Stevens has leaned more toward Baynes in the starting lineup. Not clear if either will play here, although Brown doesn’t seem likely considering what he said Wednesday.
“I’ve never experienced it [like this] where it’s hard to bend down, it’s hard to stand up or put your socks on,’’ Brown said. “I’ve had it where I landed on my back and had injuries where I fell. That was like a bruise, but this is more muscular I think than anything.’’
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 112.34
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.43
- Three-Point Percentage: 36.60
- Free Throw Percentage: 80.58
- Total Rebounds: 44.51
Defense
- Total Score: 107.96
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.93
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.21
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.24
- Total Rebounds: 45.75
Why Bet on Indiana?
The Pacers have a terrific home record but had been terrible on the road – until ending a 10-game road losing streak with Wednesday’s 108-89 victory in Detroit to sweep a home-and-home. Certainly helped Indiana that Pistons star Blake Griffin missed both games. Indiana closed the third quarter Wednesday with nine straight points, and Doug McDermott’s 3-pointer gave the Pacers a 78-62 lead.
Thaddeus Young scored 21 points (9-of-15 FGs, 1-of-1 FTs) with eight rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers in 35 minutes against the Pistons on Wednesday. Cory Joseph dished out 12 dimes on Wednesday, adding six points (2-of-8 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), six rebounds and one steal in 34 minutes. Joseph got another start with Darren Collison (groin) still out. Bojan Bogdanovic and Myles Turner scored 17 points apiece, and Domantas Sabonis added 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Not clear whether Collison will play here. Ditto Wesley Matthews, who has missed the past two with a hamstring injury. More minutes will be available for reserves Aaron Holiday and McDermott if those two are sidelined again. Indiana is 22-21 in Victor Oladipo’s absence. He is out for the season after a January knee injury.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 107.96
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.58
- Three-Point Percentage: 37.33
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.21
- Total Rebounds: 43.16
Defense
- Total Score: 104.11
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.93
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.45
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.27
- Total Rebounds: 43.30
Celtics vs Pacers NBA Betting Trends
- Boston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Indiana
- Boston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games when playing Indiana
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Boston’s last 7 games on the road
- Indiana is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games at home
- Indiana is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 6 of Indiana’s last 9 games at home
Expert Final Score Prediction for Celtics vs Pacers
Boston Celtics 103 – Indiana Pacers 107
