The Boston Celtics (64-18) travel to face off against the Indiana Pacers (47-35) on Monday, May 27th. This game will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and televised on ESPN. The Celtics are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pacers are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pacers. Tip-off is set for 8:00 ET.

Celtics vs Pacers

After falling behind 90-81 heading into the 4th quarter, the Celtics outscored the Pacers 33-21 in the final quarter to pull out a 114-111 win. Boston did not cover the spread, as they were favored by 7 points, but the game did surpass the over/under line of 220.5 points. Jayson Tatum had a big game for the Celtics, finishing with 36 points, 8 assists, and 10 rebounds, while knocking down 50% of his threes.

Indiana’s 5 made threes were well below their season average, and their 22.7% shooting from three was also well below their season average. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with 32 points, and T.J. McConnell added 23. The Pacers covered the spread as 7-point underdogs.

Celtics Offense Breakdown

Looking at the Celtics’ offense, they are currently the second-highest scoring team in the league, at 120.6 points per game. Their production has been even better on the road, at 116.8 points per game. Boston leads the league in both three-point shooting percentage and three-pointers made per game, at 38% and 16.5, respectively.

Jayson Tatum has averaged 30.6 points per game over his last five games, hitting 48.2% of his shots from the field. In these games, he pulled down 9.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists. Jaylen Brown is averaging 25.6 points per game in his last five games while connecting on 52.8% of his shots from the field.

Pacers Offense Breakdown

Indiana comes into the game as the NBA’s top-scoring team, at 123.3 points per game. They have been even better at home, averaging 124.4 points per contest. Looking at their pace, the Pacers are 5th in the league, averaging 101.2 possessions per game. The team’s field goal percentage of 50% is the best in the league.

Over their last five games, the Pacers have gotten some good scoring production from Pascal Siakam, who is averaging 23.8 points on 56.4% shooting. Andrew Nembhard has hit 52.4% of his threes in this stretch and averaged 19 points per game. Myles Turner is averaging 17.4 points per game in his last five games on a field goal percentage of 59.6%.

Celtics Team Defense

When it comes to defense, the Celtics have been one of the best teams in the league all season. They are currently 4th in the NBA in points allowed per game at 108.1. On the road, they have been even better, ranking 3rd in the league at 108.9 PPG allowed.

One thing the Boston defense has done a good job of is keeping opponents off the free-throw line. They are currently 1st in the NBA in made free-throws allowed per game at 16.6. Over their last five games, they have been even better, giving up just 9.6 made free-throws per game.

In terms of rebounding, the Celtics are 2nd in the league at 46.3 rebounds per game. They are also 1st in defensive rebounds per game at 35.5. When it comes to blocked shots, they are 2nd in the NBA at 6.6 per game.

Pacers Team Defense

When it comes to defending the three-point line, the Pacers have been the best in the league, allowing just 11 made threes per game. This is a big reason why opponents have scored less than their season average in 93.9% of games against Indiana.

Overall, Indiana is giving up 119.1 points per game (27th) and opposing teams have hit 49.3% of their shots (27th). They have been able to block shots at a high rate (5.9 per game, 8th), but have struggled on the boards (28th).

One area where the Pacers have been able to limit opposing offenses is at the free-throw line, allowing just 25.6 made free-throws per game (30th).

Key Players For The Celtics And Pacers

Our projections for today’s game indicate that Jayson Tatum will be the primary scorer for the Celtics, with 27 points and going 9/19 from the field. During this season, he is delivering an average of 26.9 points per game, along with 8.1 rebounds.

On the other side, Pascal Siakam is our projected leading scorer for the Pacers. We have him ending the game with a team-high 22 and grabbing 7 rebounds. For the season, he has a field goal percentage of 53.6% and is averaging 21.7 points per contest.

Celtics vs Pacers Trends

• When looking at their past three road matchups, Boston has an ATS record of 1-2 while averaging 109 per game. The team went 3-0 overall in these games.
• When looking at their past three home matchups, Indiana has an ATS record of 2-1 while averaging 122 per game. The team went 1-2 overall in these games.
• Looking back on the team’s last three games as the underdog, the Pacers have a straight up record of 0-3. Their record vs the spread in these games was 2-1.
• In their last three contests as the favorite, Boston has a poor record vs the spread going 1-2. But, they still put together a straight up mark of 3-0.

Celtics vs Pacers Prediction

As the underdogs with a spread of +7.5, we recommend going with the Pacers on the point spread. We not only see them covering the spread but also have a strong likelihood of winning this one outright, especially if you’re seeking a higher payout on the moneyline.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 222.5 and given that our model is projecting 227 points between the teams, we like the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.