Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers. Shape of the Teams
After fumbling the win in game one, the Indiana Pacers are set to go back to TD Garden, fighting for victory in game two. Boston’s tenacity down the stretch in game one was the real difference maker, but the Pacers at least showcased they could keep up. They really almost had the dub too – if only Jaylen Brown didn’t hit a three with 5.7 seconds to go.
That being said, game one of the series still highlighted how weak the Boston Celtics are inside, with Myles Turner scoring 18 points in the first half alone. There were tons of easy buckets, and Al Horford was a non-factor after the first quarter.
However, at the end of the day, it was the Celtics who took home game one, clinching the victory and making buckets when it mattered in overtime. It also didn’t hurt that Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Jaylen Brown all played especially well, scoring 36, 28, and 26 points a piece.
Holiday, in particular, was huge on Tuesday, clamping down on defence and taking advantage of the smaller Pacers guards all game. And while we can’t necessarily expect that type of performance every night from Holiday, you can be certain his defence will never let up.
Odds via Tonybet
| Celtics vs Pacers | May 23, 8:00 p.m EDT |
| Boston Celtics odds | -357 |
| Indiana Pacers odds | +320 |
| Boston Celtics spread -5.5 | -200 |
| Indiana Pacers spread +7.5 | +160 |
At the end of the day, it’s really not the perimeter defence Boston fans need to worry about, though; it’s the weak help and lack of a shot blocker. While we anticipated that the Pacers would take advantage of easy inside shots, we didn’t think it would be such a glaring hole without Kristaps Porziņģis.
Nonetheless, we still have to side with the Boston Celtics going into game two, as even with game one’s fourth-quarter explosion by the Pacers, they were down for the majority of the game.
Humbly, one of the best basketball players in the world 😤 pic.twitter.com/iNT1mddEXP
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 23, 2024
Tatum will again be nearly impossible to guard while grabbing a ton of boards and playing some much-needed defence. Meanwhile, Holiday, Brown, and Derrick White sit as second and third scoring options depending on the lineup.
Don’t get us wrong, the Pacers proved they have the ability to take games off of the Celtics – it’s just quite a big ask for the Pacers to tame home a dub in TD Garden when the Celtics have all the momentum.
Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers Prediction
- Pick: Boston Celtics -5.5
- Odds: -200 (Tonybet)
After tying up game one with just seconds left in the fourth quarter and winning in overtime, the Boston Celtics have still only lost two games so far in the playoffs and have all of the momentum going into game two.
To start, Jayson Tatum has been doing absolutely everything on the court, in game one he put up a stat line of 36 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals with a +20 +-. But it wasn’t just Tatum who stepped up – Jrue Holiday also put up a stellar 28 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals. The Celtics are on fire and seem to have a winning mentality, unlike anything we’ve seen since the Bubble Miami Heat.
Three straight seasons on the All-NBA First Team 👏🏽
Congrats, JT pic.twitter.com/BU7aJkFVsp
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 22, 2024
However, Boston is still severely lacking in terms of inside defence, as without a strong shot blocker, Myles Turner has had free reign down low. Not only that, slashers like Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton have taken complete advantage of the holes in the mid and close range.
Like we said in game one, if the Pacers really abuse the key, and take it to Boston, they may have a decent shot. It also doesn’t hurt that Boston’s starters have some pretty high usage rates, which could potentially lead to serious fatigue.
Overall, though, we still have to side with the heavy favourite Boston Celtics going into game two of the Eastern Conference Finals. With Tatum playing at an all-time level and veterans like Holiday playing out of their minds, it’s really hard for us to see many other outcomes than the Celtics taking it home in game two.
Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers Player Pick
- Pick: Myles Turner to score more than 16.5 points
- Odds: -111 (Tonybet)
In game one, Myles Turner had a huge first half, dropping 18 of his eventual 23 points, showing that he doesn’t struggle putting up over 20 a night. And while Turner may not be known as an offensively gifted player, he has no issues putting smaller players and older guys like Al Horford on a quick poster.
As long as the Pacers continue to hit Turner when he rim runs and he takes full advantage of his size, he should have a pretty good scoring game. If you stick Horford on him, he’ll quickly drop step into a dunk, and if it’s a smaller guard or power forward, they’ll get backed under the basket.
Even if you stick a guy like the 7’1 Luke Kornet on Turner, his lateral movement isn’t there, and he doesn’t have the strength to push him out of his spot.
You can’t expect Turner to be the main focal point of your offence by any means, but given the circumstances, 16.5 points seem more than doable. But more than anything, let’s just hope he can also get his +- into the positives for game two.
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