The Boston Celtics will look to make the most of their third consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference finals when they host the surging Indiana Pacers in Game 1 on Tuesday. The top-seeded Celtics led the NBA with 64 regular-season victories, 14 more than the No. 2 seeded Knicks and 17 more than the No. 6-seeded Pacers. They have coasted through 4-1 series wins over the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers in each of the first two rounds and are now one more series win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the second time in the past three seasons. But the surging Pacers are looking to spoil the party following their stunning and historic 130-109 Game 7 semifinal win over the Knicks in New York. Kristaps Porzingis (calf) is out for Boston, while Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) is out for Indiana.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. Boston is a 10-point favorite and the over/under for total points scored is 221.5 in the latest Celtics vs. Pacers odds via SportsLine consensus. Before making any Pacers vs. Celtics picks, be sure to check out the NBA predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters the conference finals in the 2024 NBA playoffs on a sizzling 94-61 roll on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $2,800. Anyone following the model has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Celtics vs. Pacers and just locked in its picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NBA betting lines and trends for Pacers vs. Celtics:
- Celtics vs. Pacers spread: Celtics -10
- Celtics vs. Pacers over/under: 221.5
- Celtics vs. Pacers money line: Celtics -472, Pacers +346
- BOS: The Celtics are 3-0-1 against the spread when playing on four or more days of rest.
- IND: The Pacers are 25-17-2 ATS as an underdog this season.
- Celtics vs. Pacers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Celtics can cover
The Celtics, who have long been the heavy favorite in the NBA betting odds to win the 2024 NBA Finals, have proven to be peerless in the Eastern Conference when at the top of their game. They have won Game 1 of their previous two series by 55 combined points, while covering double-digit spreads with relative ease.
Even in their 113-98 closeout win against a stubborn Cleveland club, the Celtics appeared to come out a bit flat and couldn’t create any real separation until the fourth quarter. They still won by 15 points behind a 28-20 advantage in the fourth quarter and by using a 43-28 rebounding edge to overcome 14 turnovers.
The franchise cornerstone duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have yet to fulfill their promise by bringing the Celtics an NBA title, but their 2024 NBA playoff performances thus far have illustrated they are determined to break through this time around. They are averaging a combined 47.4 points, 17 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game. See which team to pick here.
Why the Pacers can cover
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton emerged as the team’s most visible star and one of the NBA’s most versatile rising talents behind regular-season averages of 20.1 points, 10.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game. However, there was some skepticism about his ability to come through in clutch moments following numerous tepid postseason performances.
The critics turned up their volume as Haliburton struggled with the rugged Knicks throughout the series, especially at New York. He was a near no-show with just 6 points in the Game 1 loss and had just 13 in the Game 5 blowout loss at Madison Square Garden. Even so, the Iowa State product showed up when it mattered most, drilling four 3-pointers in the first quarter Sunday to set the tone for his team before finishing with a team-high 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting.
In the process, he might have resurrected his postseason reputation. Haliburton regularly engaged in trash-talk exchanges with both the Knicks and their famously boisterous courtside fans before wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with an image of infamous Knicks antagonist Reggie Miller, a 1990s-era Pacers icon who is now in the Hall of Fame, to the postgame press conference.
“I knew today is Game 7 … unload the clip, have no regrets. I would hate to be pissed all summer about not shooting the ball today. So for me, it was just about coming out playing the right way,” Haliburton told the media. See which team to pick here.
How to make Pacers vs. Celtics picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 227 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only get the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Celtics vs. Pacers, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pacers vs. Celtics spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $2,800 on its NBA picks this season, and find out.
