Pacers vs Celtics Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Friday, March 24th

Check out our free Pacers vs Celtics pick and preview for this NBA game in Boston. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Pacers vs Celtics NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Indiana Pacers at Boston Celtics
Where: Boston at TD Garden
Date: Friday, March 24th
Betting Odds BOS -12, IND +481 | BOS -686 O/U nan

The Pacers come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 33-40. So far, the team has gone 39-33-1 against the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Indiana has an overall record of 1-2, including going 1-2 against the spread.

The Pacers are coming off a 118-114 win over the Raptors. This away win came despite entering the game as the 9 point underdogs. In the game, Indiana was able to hold on to their first half lead, as they led the Raptors by 6 going into the second half. Leading the team in scoring was Andrew Nembhard, as he contributed 25 points while hitting 64.7% of his shots.

So far, the Celtics have put together an overall record of 50-23, while going 37-34-2 vs the spread. In their previous 3 games, the Celtics are averaging 125 points per game while allowing 113. This has led to a record of 2-1.

The Celtics will look to keep things rolling, as they previously beat the Kings by a score of 132-109. Heading into the game, they were 5 point favorites against the spread, giving them an ATS win. Boston put together a strong second half, as they only held a 6 point lead going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Jayson Tatum, as he contributed 36 points while hitting 56.0% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In the most recent matchup between the two teams, the Pacers picked up the win 117-112 win over the Celtics. Heading into the game, Indiana was the 9.5 point underdogs, giving them an ATS win. So far, the two team’s have split their season series, with each team at 1-1. Similar to their season-long average, the Pacers averaged 112.25 points per game vs the Celtics. Similar to the Pacers, the Celtics scored at a rate near the league average. In their games vs Indiana, the team averaged 113.75 points per game. The level of competition has been tight in the 5 most recent games between Pacers and Celtics with just 0 points per game separating the teams. Indiana has the ATS edge in this span at 4-1. Over the course of these games, they averaged 242 points per game, leading a 4-1 over-under record.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

For the season, the Indiana offense is the 12th ranked unit in the NBA, at 115.9 points per contest. The Pacers come into the game as one of the league’s better 3-point shooting teams, connecting at a rate of 13.8 made 3’s per game. One thing that could take the team’s offense to the next level is if they can begin to generate more opportunites at the free-throw line. So far, they are averaging just 18.6 made free-throws per game.

On defense, the Pacers will look for some improved play, as they are currently the 26th ranked unit in points allowed per game.

This season, the Pacers offense has primarily worked through Buddy Hield and Bennedict Mathurin who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 73 games, Hield is 76th in the NBA at 17.1 points per game. So far, him and Mathurin have accounted for 28% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 33.7 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Bennedict Mathurin is grabbing 4.0 rebounds for Indiana to go along with 1.4 assists.

Boston will look to continue with their strong offensive play, as they are averaging 117.8 points per game (3rd). When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Celtics are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 99.3 per contest. This slow style of play has made a difference in their overall scoring numbers, as Boston is just 13th in made field goals per game.

So far, the Celtics have played well defensively, as they are ranked 1st in the league at 104.48 points per contest.

This season, the Celtics offense has primarily worked through Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown who are 1st and 2nd on the team in scoring. In his 68 games, Tatum is 6th in the NBA at 30.1 points per game. So far, him and Brown have accounted for 47% of the team’s field goal attempts while combining to average 56.8 points per contest. In addition to sitting 2nd on the team in scoring, Jaylen Brown is grabbing 6.9 rebounds for Boston to go along with 3.4 assists.