Pacers vs. Celtics Prediction
After a defensive-heavy Game 1, will the Boston Celtics be able to cover another spread against the Boston Celtics tonight at 7PM ET?
537 Indiana Pacers vs. 538 Boston Celtics
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
7PM ET – TD Garden
TV: TNT
Compare odds and from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our new NBA Odds & Betting Page.
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers, the Celtics are favored at home, as they are getting odds of -7.5 points against the Pacers. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 203 points. The public betting for the contest has 68 percent going on Boston at home. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NBA Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Pacers struggle offensively
Indiana dropped the opening game of the series on Sunday, 84-74 in an ugly offensive display. The Pacers are now 48-35 overall, 19-23 on the road, 41-42 against the spread and 47-36 with the under.
The Pacers went through some long offensive droughts in Game 1, including scoring just 8 points in the third quarter. As a team, Indiana went just 28 of 84 from the floor, 6 of 27 from the arc and 12 of 21 from the free-throw line. Corey Joseph led the team in scoring with 14 points off the bench. Bojan Bogdanovic had 12 points with two steals while Myles Turner was held to five points with eight rebounds.
Celtics grind out win
Boston found a way to win Game 1 on Sunday with its defense, grinding out possessions against the Pacers. The Celtics are now 50-33 on the season, 29-13 at home, 40-42-1 against the spread and 47-36 with the over.
The Celtics didn’t shoot particularly well in Game 1 either, going just 28 of 77 from the field, but they did hit 10 3-pointers and were 18 of 22 from the line. The Celtics also had a 55-42 rebound advantage. Kyrie Irving led the team with 20 points, seven assists and five rebounds while Al Horford added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Marcus Morris compiled 20 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
NBA Betting Trends
Indiana
The Pacers are just 1-7 against the spread in their last 8 against Atlantic Division opponents and 4-13 ATS in their last 17 road game against a team with a winning home record.
Boston
The Celtics are 10-2 against the spread in their last 12 conference quarterfinal games and 20-5-1 ATS in their last 26 Wednesday games.
Prediction:
The Pacers were a mess in Game 1, but Boston didn’t exactly play its best either and still managed to cover the spread. Boston should see an improved offensive effort tonight while I don’t know that we can say the same for the Pacers. Indiana just doesn’t have any reliable scorers. Boston has the far superior backcourt and that is going to be the story throughout this series.
NBA Prediction: Boston Celtics -7.5