The Boston Celtics visit Bankers Life Fieldhouse to take on the Indiana Pacers. The game gets underway at 7:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 15 and can be seen on CNE and FxI.
The Pacers are expecting a different result after their 104-75 loss to the Hawks on Sunday. Myles Turner was the game’s leading scorer with 19 points. The Celtics, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 102-98 loss to the Rockets on Friday. Jared Sullinger had a solid game, registering his 21st double-double of the season with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Over the last five games, Paul George has been playing at a high level for the Pacers, averaging 24.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.2 steals, and 2.8 three-pointers. On the other side, the Celtics have their own duo that have upped their production in that span. Sullinger has averaged 15.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks, while Isaiah Thomas has put up 28.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.0 steal, and 3.2 three-pointers.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Indiana ranks third in the league, allowing just 100.7 points per 100 possessions, while Boston is fourth (100.7).
The Pacers have won two out of three against the Celtics this season, but dropped their most recent game, 103-94. Amir Johnson put up 14 points and 18 rebounds.
The Pacers have gone 35-31 Straight Up (SU) and 34-32 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 35-31 SU and 34-32 ATS versus the Eastern Conference. Indiana is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 19.1 points per game. Indiana will look to take advantage of the Celtics and their propensity to foul. Boston ranks 29th in the league in fouls, averaging 22.8 per game.
On the other side, the Celtics have a record of 35-29-2 ATS and 39-27 SU. Boston has records of 39-27 SU and 35-29-2 ATS against the East. The Celtics rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the fourth-best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.81. Boston’s three-point defense is one of the top in the league, with opponents making only 7.0 shots from the three-point line per game. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Celtics, who rank second in the league with 9.5 steals per game. A large part of Boston’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 18.9 points per game off turnovers, which ranks fourth in the league.
The Celtics’ win over Indiana in their last clash wasn’t enough for them to overtake the Pacers in the most recent head-to-head series. Their record is now 4-6 SU over the last 10 meetings. On the other hand, the Celtics lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Bos
Notes
“Indiana is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games “.
“Indiana is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana’s last 7 games “.
“Indiana is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Indiana’s last 9 games at home”.
“Indiana is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Boston”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana’s last 5 games when playing Boston”.
“Indiana is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing at home against Boston”.
“Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Boston”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Indiana’s last 8 games when playing at home against Boston”.
Boston’s offense and Indiana’s defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Boston puts up an average of 0.0 points per game, while Indiana gives up 0.0 points per game.
Boston and Indiana are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Boston puts up an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Indiana allows 0.0 points at home on average.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Pacers are 26-5 on the season. When the Celtics score fewer than 100, they are a poor 5-12.
The Indiana Pacers have a losing 9-26 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Boston Celtics are 34-15 when they hit triple digits.
The Pacers have an offensive rating of 102.3 (ranked 24th). The Celtics rank fourth for their defensive rating of 100.7.
With 99.6 possessions and 1.023 points per possession, the Indiana Pacers perform worse on both metrics than the Boston Celtics. Boston averages 101.9 possessions and 1.042 points per possession.
The Indiana Pacers average an effective field goal percentage of 49.3% this season. The Boston Celtics have a subpar record of 7-19 when opponents have an EFF% of 49.3% or greater.
Indiana makes an average of 20.7 assists per game (ranked 23rd). Boston ranks higher in assists with 24.6 (ranked fifth).
The Indiana Pacers average 4.8 blocks per game for a rank of 16th. The Boston Celtics rank lower (23rd), earning 4.3 blocks each game.
The Indiana Pacers rank 15th in offensive rebounding, while the Boston Celtics rank 17th in defensive rebounding.
Making 9.0 steals per game, Indiana is ranked fourth in the NBA. Boston has a solid 18-7 record when it allows at least 9 steals.
