Celtics vs. Pacers Prediction
In a preview of a first-round playoff series, the Indiana Pacers host the Boston Celtics tonight at 8PM ET. Who will pick up an important win tonight?
539 Boston Celtics vs. 540 Indiana Pacers
Friday, April 5, 2019
8PM ET – Bankers Life Fieldhouse
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Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Pacers are the slight favorite at home, as they are getting odds of -1 point against the Celtics. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 214 points. The public betting for this game currently has 66 percent going on the Celtics on the road. This information is subject to change, however, so be sure to check out our NBA Public Betting Page for updated figures on the game.
Celtics heating up
Boston has won four of its last five games, including back-to-back wins over Miami this week and a 2-point win over the Pacers last week. The Celtics are 47-32 overall, 19-20 on the road, 37-41-1 against the spread and 44-35 with the over. Boston is fourth in the East right now, tied with Indiana, but the Celtics own the tiebreaker as of now. Both teams are 2 games behind Philly.
The Celtics are led by their defense, as they are giving up 108 points per game while opponents shoot 44.9 percent against them. Offensively, Boston is putting up 112.3 points per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field. Marcus Morris is out for tonight’s game with a knee injury while Jaylen Brown is doubtful with a back injury. Kyrie Irving is leading the team with 23.9 points and 7.0 assists per game while Jayson Tatum is adding 15.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest.
Pacers fighting for home court
Indiana is coming off a 108-89 win at Detroit on Wednesday for a second straight victory. The Pacers have covered the spread in four of their last six. Indiana is 47-32 on the season, 29-10 at home, 40-39 against the spread and 45-34 with the under.
The Pacers are the league’s top defensive team, giving up 104.1 points per game while opponents shoot 45 percent against them. Offensively, Indiana is putting up 108.0 points per game while shooting 47.6 percent as a team. Darren Collison is doubtful to play tonight while Wesley Matthews is questionable for the game due to injuries. Bojan Bogdanovic is leading the team with 18.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while Domantas Sabonis is adding 14.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per contest.
NBA Betting Trends
Boston
The Celtics are 3-9 against the spread in their last 12 games overall and 1-5 ATS in their last six following a win.
Indiana
Indiana is 10-4 ATS in its last 14 home games and 16-5 ATS in their last 21 Friday games.
Prediction:
The home team has won all three games in this series thus far and that is what stands out right now. Despite the injuries, Indiana has still been tough at home and they just cover a spread at Boston last week. Boston is also going to be without some key players, so I think Indiana’s defense will continue to be the story. With the potential for home-court in the playoff series at stake, I am going to go with the home team.
NBA Prediction: Indiana Pacers -1