Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers Prediction, 1/8/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers

Date: Monday, January 8, 2024

Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: Bally Sports Indiana

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-6)

Gainbridge Fieldhouse is the location where the Indiana Pacers (20-15) will meet the Boston Celtics (28-7) on Monday. Indiana opens this matchup as 6-point dogs from Vegas oddsmakers. The total has been set at 246.5.

The Celtics played the Pacers and notched a win by a score of 118-101 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Celtics finished with 20 and the Pacers had 18 fouls. They converted 8 out of their 42 attempts from long range. Indiana finished the game at 77.3% at the free throw line by making 17 of 22 shots. Additionally, Indiana grabbed 38 rebounds (10 offensive, 28 defensive) and had 6 blocked shots. Indiana recorded 23 assists and had 12 steals for this game. When it comes to the defense, Boston allowed their opponent to shoot 41.3% from the field on 38 out of 92 shooting. They also dished out 26 assists for this contest as well as forcing 9 turnovers and earning 6 steals. In the matter of pulling down boards, they compiled 56 with 13 of them being of the offensive variety. From the charity stripe, the Celtics converted 10 of their 19 attempts for a rate of 52.6%. Boston ended with a 51.1% field goal percentage (46 out of 90) and knocked down 16 out of their 41 shots from beyond the arc.

Jayson Tatum is a guy who was a major factor for this game. Tatum finished the game at 60.9% from the floor and also earned 6 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 38 minutes and totaled 13 boards. He scored 38 points on 14 of 23 shooting.

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Boston will enter this contest with a mark of 28-7 so far this year. They cough up possession 13.3 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 17.5 fouls every game. As a unit, Boston is snagging 47.8 boards per game and has accumulated 910 assists on the year, which is 17th in the league in terms of passing. The Celtics are hitting 37.4% on shots from 3-point land (562 of 1,504) and 80.1% from the charity stripe. They average 120.9 points per game (5th in the NBA) while hitting 48.1% from the floor.

On defense, the Celtics are able to force 12.4 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.7 fouls. They rank 5th in basketball in allowing assists to their opponents with 860 relinquished so far this year. The Celtics are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 44.8% (1,440 of 3,217) and they relinquish 43.2 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 35.8% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 3rd in the league in points per game allowed (110.1).

In their last game, the Pacers went home defeated by a final of 118-101 when they faced the Celtics. The Pacers collected 28 defensive rebounds and 10 offensive boards for a total of 38 for this game. They also gave up possession 9 times, while getting 12 steals for this game. The Celtics had 20 personal fouls in this game which took the Pacers to the free throw line for a total of 22 attempts. They were able to knock down 17 of those for a percentage of 77.3%. With respect to 3-point shots, Indiana knocked down 8 of 42 attempts (19.0%). When this game wrapped up, the Pacers went 38 for 92 from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.3%. The Pacers allowed the Celtics to make 46 of their 90 attempts from the field which left them shooting 51.1% in this game. They finished 39.0% from three-point range by hitting 16 of 41 and walked away from this one shooting 10 of 19 at the free throw line (52.6%). When talking about how they cleaned up the glass, Indiana permitted Boston to snag 56 overall (13 on the offensive side).

Bennedict Mathurin ended up being a factor for the Pacers for this game. Mathurin had 20 points in his 35 mins on the court and accumulated 2 assists for the matchup. He buried 7 of 14 for this game for a rate of 50.0%, and earned 4 rebounds.

Indiana has a mark of 20-15 on the campaign. When it comes to offense, the Pacers are shooting 50.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 1st in the NBA. Indiana has accumulated 4,439 pts this season (126.8 per contest) and they average 40.4 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 31.0 times per contest (1st in the league) and they turn the ball over 13.3 times per game. The Pacers are responsible for committing 22.4 fouls every game and they go 79.6% from the free throw line.

The Indiana defense allows 37.7% on shots from 3-point land (380 of 1,007) and their opposition makes 81.0% of their free throw attempts. They relinquish 25.1 dimes and 43.1 boards on a nightly basis, which is 8th and 13th in basketball. The Pacers defensively are ranked 29th in basketball in points given up per game with 124.2. They are able to force 14.1 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 50.1% from the floor (28th in basketball).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Boston (-6)

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