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Celtics vs Pacers: An Eastern Conference Classic
The Boston Celtics are visiting the Indiana Pacers for the second of the back-to-back matchups between these two teams at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Celtics are the best team in the league
The Boston Celtics are on top of the Eastern Conference with a league-best 28-7 record. They have won 8 of the last 9 games and are 3.5 games ahead of the second team in the conference, the Milwaukee Bucks. The Celtics are fifth in the league, scoring 120.9 points per game, and are the highest-scoring team in the first half of games. Boston is also the best rebounding team with 47.8 boards per game and makes a league-high 16.1 three-pointers per game. Jayson Tatum is among the top 5 candidates to win the MVP award, as he averages 27.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.
The Pacers are having a solid season
The Indiana Pacers are 7th in the Eastern Conference with a 20-15 record. After losing six of seven games, they are the winners of six of the last seven. The Pacers have been the best-scoring team in the league since the start of the season and currently average 126.3 points per game. They record the most assists (30.9 per game) and have the highest shooting percentage from the field (50.5%). Defensively, they are among the bottom three teams in allowed points per game (124.1) and allowed field goal percentage (50.2%). Tyrese Haliburton leads the league with 12.7 assists and is the Pacers’ top scorer averaging 24.2 points per game.
Betting Trends
The Celtics are 8-1 SU in the last 9 games, 4-1 SU in the last five against the Pacers, 12-5 SU in the last 17 games played in Indiana, and 8-0 SU in the last eight against Eastern Conference teams.
What happened two nights ago?
The Celtics won 118-101 in Indiana on Saturday. They took on a 12-point lead in the first quarter and kept the lead until the end. Boston shot 51.1% from the field and 39% from deep. Jayson Tatum scored 38 points for the Celtics, followed by Jaylen Brown with 31. For the Pacers, Bennedict Mathurin dropped 20 points off the bench.
Injury Reports
Bruce Brown and Andrew Nembhard are listed as day-to-day for the Pacers while Boston has their full roster available.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Indiana Pacers have made a significant improvement this season but that doesn’t help much when they face the Celtics. Boston is absolutely dominant on both ends of the floor and has a 22-4 record against conference rivals this season. The Celtics won by 17 just two days ago in Indiana and even though the Pacers have much room for improvement, it is pretty unlikely that it will affect the final outcome of the game. Boston has won 12 of the last 17 games in Indiana and will add another one tonight.
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