The Boston Celtics visit the Indiana Pacers tonight in the first Eastern Conference Finals rematch of the season as the reigning champions look to remain unbeaten.
Indiana began the season with a comfortable victory over the Detroit Pistons but it hasn’t been as smooth since, falling to three straight defeats to the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic.
In fairness to the Pacers, those are three tough match-ups – favored against Philadelphia but priced as the underdog against New York and Orlando.
Wednesday’s clash in Indiana represents an opportunity – albeit a very challenging one – for the Pacers to light a fire in their bellies and make a statement to the Eastern Conference.
Boston, who enter off the back of four straight wins against the Knicks, Pistons, Washington Wizards and Milwaukee Bucks, are favored by 7.5 points in the early morning game lines.
Pacers vs Celtics Preview
Boston visited Gainbridge Fieldhouse twice during their championship-winning playoff run. The Celtics left with fond memories as Jayson Tatum’s 36 points, ten rebounds and eight assists gave his side a 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
A few days later, the Celtics completed the sweep to advance to the NBA Finals – Tatum recorded 26 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in that game whilst his partner-in-crime Jaylen Brown put up 29 points.
Jayson Tatum and the @celtics erase an 18-point 2nd half deficit to take a 3-0 lead in the East Finals!
☘️ 36 PTS
☘️ 5 3PM
☘️10 REB
☘️ 8 ASTGame 4: Monday, 8:00pm/et on ESPN pic.twitter.com/6AjnNCspbK
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2024
The Pacers are a team that Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla knows very well and it’s no surprise to see them favored by a significant margin on the road, especially considering their hot start to the season.
Tatum has put himself in the MVP conversation pretty quickly and efficiently, averaging 28.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game on 42% shooting from three and 51% from the field.
Brown is chipping in with 26 a game, whilst Derrick White (18.2ppg), Payton Pritchard (16.2ppg), Jrue Holiday (13.2ppg) and Al Horford (9.5ppg) are all making valuable contributions to one of the league’s best ever offenses.
Pacers All-NBA point guard Tyrese Haliburton shook off a nightmare showing against the Knicks where he finished with zero points on 0/8 shooting to record 23 points against the 76ers and 19 points with ten assists against the Magic.
A less-than-ideal start to the campaign for the Pacers can be quickly reversed with a win tonight – and Indiana will hope to channel some of the energy their fans brought when the Pacers beat Boston 122-112 in this arena almost a year ago in the NBA Cup.
Pacers vs Celtics Team News
Celtics sharpshooter Sam Hauser is listed as probable to return after missing the team’s last three games with a low back injury, whilst big man Kristaps Porzingis remains on the sideline as he continues to recover from ankle surgery.
As for the hosts, James Wiseman is out indefinitely after tearing his achilles and it’s unlikely we’ll see Australian rookie Johnny Furphy either, who is currently dealing with strep throat.
Pacers vs Celtics Pick
It’s hard not to see this one going to the Celtics. They’ve been very impressive to start the season with no sign of a championship hangover, and this is arguably the best chance of a back-to-back victor the league has had since the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
They’ve got valuable, winning experience against the Pacers and their star players are in devastating form through the first four games.
Celtics to cover -7.5 spread is our pick of the game.
