The Indiana Pacers (15-16) and Boston Celtics (22-8) will meet in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The game will broadcast live on NBA TV.
The Celtics are 12.5-point home favorites over the Pacers on the spread, with the over/under set at 230.5 total points. Boston is a -750 favorite to win outright, while Indiana +525 to pull off the upset.
Let's get to my Pacers vs. Celtics predictions and NBA picks for Friday, December 27.
Pacers vs. Celtics Prediction, Picks
Spread
The spread for this game opened at 9.5 or 10 depending on the sportsbook, and has moved all the way to a consensus line of Boston -12.5 now.
The Pacers are on the second night of a back to back after a thrilling game against the Thunder in which the Pacers let the lead slip away throughout the second half and ultimately lost.
Now, the Pacers will travel to Boston. Despite it being a tough spot for Indiana, they seem to always get up going against the Celtics, and they have a lot of their depth back besides from Aaron Nesmith.
Getting Andrew Nembhard consistently in the lineup has been great for the Pacers. They won five straight prior to last night's loss. Meanwhile, the Celtics are not playing their best ball at the moment.
The early market says to back the Celtics, but I do not want to fade this hot Pacers team at such a steep number. Asking the Celtics to win by a dozen is a tall order.
Moneyline
The moneyline for games priced in the double digits range is basically priced out. I rarely look at this as a direction.
It is either paying a fortune for Celtics to win outright, or taking a longshot on the Pacers.
I understand tacking on some moneyline exposure if you like the Pacers ATS, but given the situational spot of the road game, playing on a back to back, while the Celtics are rested and waiting for them, no thanks.
Over/Under
My Pacers vs. Celtics best bet is on the Under at 232.5 total points, with the best line currently available at FanDuel. But as always, make sure to shop for the best line using our live NBA odds page.
The Celtics are 17-13 to the under this season, and their games often take steam in that direction. It has been profitable to blindly play Celtics unders this season.
Despite them having a great offense and shooting an insanely high volume of threes, the market has accounted for it, and possibly too much.
Here is another game where the total opened 233.5 and is beginning to dip, but it is still a bet I want to make. Throughout the recent Pacers stretch, their defense has been phenomenal too. This becomes an easy spot for me to back the under.
My Pick: Under 232.5 (-120)
Pacers vs. Celtics Odds, Spread, Over/Under
| Pacers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+12.5 -110 | 230.5 -110 / -110 | +525 |
| Celtics Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-12.5 -110 | 230.5 -110 / -110 | -750 |
- Pacers vs Celtics spread: Celtics -12.5
- Pacers vs Celtics over/under: 230.5 total points
- Pacers vs Celtics moneyline: Celtics -750, Pacers +525
- Pacers vs Celtics best bet: Under 232.5 (-120)
Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics Preview
The Pacers have had a top-5 defensive efficiency rating during their recent 5-game win streak, and came out very very strong against a top tier Thunder squad yesterday.
It took some extra late-game fouling to push the Thunder over their projected team total last night.
The Pacers are not often known for their defense, and to be fair, Rick Carlisle's teams rarely are, but they have actually played with great intensity on the defensive end as of late.
The Celtics can switch basically all positions and keep the ball and man in front of them at all times, which makes the game slow down a bit.
Despite the high volume of 3-pointers both teams tend to shoot, I expect the pace to be slower than anticipated and to become an under spot.
Pacers vs. Celtics Best Bets, Predictions
I played the Under at 232.5, and I am also tacking on some player props for this contest.
Tyrese Haliburton Under 4.5 Rebounds was a number I grabbed and is widely available. I am ok even playing this all the way up to -160.
I also like Pascal Siakam over 2.5 assists (-125) and Derrick White over 9.5 Rebounds + Assist (+100).
If you are going to place a same game parlay here, look to grab both the game under and some combination of Siakam and/or White going over their prop lines. It is inversely correlated but the numbers are strong that you can gain CLV and actually have a valuable parlay ticket.
Best Bet: Under 232.5
Celtics vs. Pacers Parlay Picks
- Under 232.5 (-120)
- Pascal Siakam Over 2.5 Assists (-125)
- Derrick White Over 9.5 Rebounds + Assists (+100)
Potential Payout: +503
