The 6-seed Indiana Pacers head to Beantown to meet the mighty 1-seed Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Finals Tuesday. Tip-off from TD Garden is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Pacers vs. Celtics odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
The Pacers advanced to their first conference finals in 10 years after smoking the New York Knicks 130-109 in Game 7. The Pacers could not miss, shooting 29 for 38 (76.3%) at one point in the first half. G Tyrese Haliburton led the offensive barrage with 26 points and 6 assists while shooting 6 for 12 from 3-point land. He was a big story in the Eastern semis as he had just 6 points in Game 1. He was dealing with back spasms, and he can still be seen wearing a back compression brace on the bench, but he averaged 23.8 PPG in Games 2-7.
The Celtics have been chillin’ since dispatching of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 5 games Wednesday. F Jayson Tatum averaged 26.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG and 6.2 APG in the series. Boston will be without C Kristaps Porzingis (calf) for at least the first 2 games. C Al Horford went off for 22 points, 15 boards, 5 assists and six 3-pointers in their Game 5 win over Cleveland. It’ll be different matching up with C Myles Turner, who is big and athletic. He also shot 48.3% from distance in their semifinal, which will also test Horford’s 37-year-old legs.
Pacers at Celtics odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:37 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Pacers +340 (bet $100 to win $340) | Celtics -450 (bet $450 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Pacers +9.5 (-105) | Celtics -9.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 220.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)