Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics Prediction, 5/21/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics

Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Location: TD Garden in Boston, MA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Indiana (+10)

TD Garden is the location where the Boston Celtics (64-18) will attempt to beat the Indiana Pacers (47-35) on Tuesday in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston opens this game as 10-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under has been set at 220.5.

The Pacers played the Knicks and took home the win by a score of 130-109 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Indiana ended the contest having earned a 67.1% FG percentage (53 of 79) and converted 13 of 24 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Pacers knocked down 11 of 16 attempts for a percentage of 68.8%. In relation to rebounding, they earned a total of 33 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 33 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing 8 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In relation to the defense, Indiana allowed their opponent to shoot 42.4% from the floor on 36 of 85 shooting. New York recorded 22 assists and had 5 steals in this game. Additionally, New York pulled down 28 rebounds (9 offensive, 19 defensive) and earned 9 blocked shots. New York finished the game at 88.9% at the free throw line by knocking down 24 of 27 shots. They buried 13 of 35 shots from downtown. Regarding personal fouls, the Pacers walked away with 22 while the Knicks had 17 personal fouls.

Tyrese Haliburton is someone who was a contributor in the game. He recorded 26 points on 10 out of 17 shooting. He played for 33 mins and also collected 4 rebounds. Haliburton finished the game at 58.8% from the field and earned 6 assists.

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Indiana heads into this game with a mark of 47-35 for the campaign. They turn it over 1 2.9 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 21.4 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Indiana is grabbing 41.5 boards per contest and is sitting with 2,522 dimes so far this year, which ranks 1st in basketball in terms of passing. The Pacers are hitting 37.4% on three-point attempts (1,082 of 2,891) and 78.2% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 123.3 points per contest (1st in basketball) while hitting 50.7% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Pacers are forcing 13.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.3 fouls. They currently rank 4th in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 2,020 conceded this season. The Pacers defense is allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 49.6% (3,653 of 7,361) and they concede 43.4 rebounds per contest as a unit. They concede 36.5% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 27th in the NBA in PPG from their opponents (120.2).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Celtics took home the win by a final score of 113-98 when they faced the Cavaliers. The series only went 5 games. The Celtics snagged 32 defensive rebounds and 11 offensive boards for a total of 43 in the game. They also turned the ball over 12 times, while recording 6 steals for the game. The Cavaliers earned 16 personal fouls in this contest which got the Celtics to the free throw line for 12 shots. They were able to knock down 10 of them for a percentage of 83.3%. In relation to three-point shots, Boston made 19 out of 43 tries (44.2%). Overall, the Celtics ended up going 42 for 80 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 52.5%. The Celtics allowed the Cavaliers to make 38 out of their 79 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 48.1% for this contest. They went 41.9% from distance by shooting 13 out of 31 and walked away from this one shooting 9 of 12 from the charity stripe (75.0%). When discussing how they attacked the glass, Boston allowed Cleveland to collect 28 overall (6 on the offensive glass).

Jayson Tatum was important for the Celtics in this matchup. Tatum had 25 points in his 43 mins on the hardwood and had 9 dimes in the matchup. He made 9 of 16 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 56.3%, and accumulated 10 rebounds.

Boston has a mark of 64-18 this season. In terms of offensive execution, the Celtics are connecting on 48.7% from the field, which ranks them 8th in the league. Boston has accounted for 9,887 points this year (120.6 per game) and they average 46.3 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 26.9 times per game (14th in the league) and they are giving up possession 11.9 times per contest. The Celtics have committed 16.2 personal fouls per contest and they hit 80.7% from the charity stripe.

The Celtics on the defensive end are ranked 5th in the NBA in PPG surrendered with 109.2. They are able to force 12.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.3% from the field (2nd in the NBA). The Boston defense concedes 35.2% on three-point shots (1,059 of 3,008) and their opposition makes 76.8% of their free throw shots. They have surrendered 24.9 dimes and 43.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 5th and 14th in the league.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Indiana (+10)

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