Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers Prediction, 5/25/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers

Date: Saturday, May 25, 2024

Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: ABC

Odds/Point Spread: Boston (-6)

The Boston Celtics are en route to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday where they will meet the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston leads the series 2-0. Indiana opens this matchup as 6-point underdogs. The total is set at 222.5.

The Celtics went home with a win by a final score of 126-110 in Game 2. Boston walked away from the contest with a 53.4% field goal percentage (47 of 88) and buried 15 of their 37 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Celtics buried 17 of their 20 attempts for a percentage of 85.0%. In relation to pulling down rebounds, they collected a total of 40 with 13 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 28 assists for the contest while forcing 16 turnovers and having 9 steals. Concerning the defense, Boston allowed the other team to go 52.4% from the field on 44 out of 84 shooting. Indiana recorded 23 assists and had 5 steals in this game. Additionally, Indiana pulled down 37 rebounds (12 offensive, 25 defensive) and had 2 rejections. Indiana walked away from this one shooting 68.8% at the charity stripe by burying 11 of their 16 shots. They also buried 11 of their 29 tries from 3-point range. In relation to fouls, the Celtics ended up with 16 while the Pacers recorded 23 fouls.

Jaylen Brown is one guy who was a factor in this contest. Brown finished shooting 51.9% from the floor and earned 2 dimes. He was on the hardwood for 37 minutes played and grabbed 5 rebounds. He ended up walking away with 40 points on 14 of 27 shooting.

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Boston enters this game with a record of 64-18 this season. They lose possession via turnover 11.9 times per contest and as a group are committing 16.2 personal fouls per game. As a team, Boston is pulling in 46.3 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 2,207 dimes so far this season, which is 14th in the league in terms of passing. The Celtics are shooting 38.8% on shots from distance (1,351 of 3,482) and 80.7% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 120.6 pts per game (2nd in basketball) while shooting 48.7% from the floor.

On the defensive end of the court, the Celtics have forced 12.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.3 personal fouls. They currently rank 5th in the NBA in allowing assists to their opponents with 2,042 surrendered so far this season. The Celtics defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 45.3% (3,403 of 7,515) and they relinquish 43.3 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are giving up 35.2% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are ranked 5th in the league in PPG from their opponents (109.2).

In Game 2, the Pacers snagged 25 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards for a total of 37 for the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 16 times, while getting 5 steals for the matchup. The Celtics committed 16 personal fouls for this game which took the Pacers to the charity stripe for 16 tries. They were able to knock down 11 of the free throws for a rate of 68.8%. Pertaining to shots from 3-point land, Indiana converted 11 out of 29 attempts (37.9%). When the final whistle blew, the Pacers ended up shooting 44 out of 84 from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.4%. The Pacers permitted the Celtics to convert 47 of their 88 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 53.4% for the contest. They finished the game shooting 40.5% from behind the 3-point line by going 15 of 37 and ended up going 17 of 20 from the charity stripe (85.0%). Regarding cleaning up the glass, Indiana allowed Boston to snag 40 in total (13 on the offensive glass).

Pascal Siakam pitched in for the Pacers in this matchup. Siakam totaled 28 points in his 31 mins of playing time and had 2 dimes in this matchup. He converted 13 out of 17 for the game for a field goal percentage of 76.5%, and had 5 rebounds.

Indiana has a mark of 47-35 for the season. The Pacers commit 21.4 fouls per game while shooting 78.2% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 30.8 times per contest (1st in basketball) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 12.9 times per contest. Indiana has 10,110 points for the season (123.3 per contest) and they average 41.5 boards per contest. When it comes to executing on offense, the Pacers are hitting on 50.7% from the field, which ranks them 1st in basketball.

The Pacers are ranked 27th in the league in PPG surrendered with 120.2. They are able to force 13.9 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 49.6% from the floor (30th in the NBA). The Indiana defense gives up 36.5% on 3-point shots (877 of 2,404) and their opposition knocks down 78.7% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 24.6 dimes and 43.4 rebounds per game, which ranks them 4th and 15th in the league.

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Indiana (+6)

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