Pacers vs Celtics Prediction, Picks & Player Props (March 24): Boston Hammers Indiana at TD Garden

The Boston Celtics return home following a six-game road trip to host the Indiana Pacers in one of 10 NBA games slated for Friday, March 24. Tonight’s game is also the third and final of the 2022-23 Pacers vs Celtics season series. Indiana and Boston split the first two battles, leaving time to tell who’ll win the war.

Gallo gave an optimistic update in regard to his knee rehab at Thursday afternoon's practice.https://t.co/hv7y2ujRzo

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 23, 2023

Tonight is the third stop on the Pacers’ four-game road trip. They’re 1-2 thus far and are coming off a 118-114 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Rookie Andrew Nembhard dropped a 25-point, 10-assist double-double in his home country to help Indiana pull within 1.5 games of the final Eastern Conference play-in spot.

Meanwhile, the Celtics are back at TD Garden after going 4-2 on their own road venture. Their last outing resulted in a 132-109 win against the Sacramento Kings. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 63 points on 24-of-41 (58.5%) shooting while Derrick White chipped in with 20 points and 12 assists.

Betting News is here with not only the latest Pacers vs Celtics odds but also an expert prediction and the best bet for the game. That’s not even to mention everything else you need to know!

Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Indiana Pacers (33-40, 14-23 Away) vs. Boston Celtics (50-23, 26-9 Home)
• Venue & Location: TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts )
• Date: Friday, March 24, 2023
• Game Time: 7 p.m. Eastern Time
• Pacers vs Celtics TV Info: NBA TV, NBC Sports Boston, Bally Sports Indiana

Pacers vs Celtics Suns Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline Sportsbook as of Friday, March 24 at 12:35 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Indiana Pacers +12 (-110)
• Boston Celtics -12 (-110)

Over/Under

• TBD
• TBD

Moneyline

• Indiana Pacers +530
• Boston Celtics -750

Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics Betting Trends

• Indiana is 4-14 straight up in its last 18 games against Boston.
• Boston is 15-4 straight up in its last 19 home games.
• Indiana is 5-1 against the spread (ATS) in its last six games against Boston.
• Boston is 4-12 ATS in its last 16 home games played on a Friday.
• The total has hit the over in six of Indiana’s last nine games.
• The total has hit the over in four of Boston’s last five games against Indiana.

Pacers vs Celtics Game Preview

Although they’re motivated by being within striking distance of a play-in spot, winning won’t be easy for the Pacers tonight.

For starters, the Pacers have been brutal on the road this season, losing 14 of their last 20 away contests. While they’ve won six times in their last nine road outings, five of those victories came against teams that presently own a sub-.500 winning percentage.

Winning on the road is also tough when certain key players’ injury statuses are up in the air. Tyrese Haliburton — who hasn’t played since March 9 due to a sprained ankle — is questionable to lace up his shoes.

In his first full campaign with the team, Haliburton paces the Pacers in points (20.8), assists (10.4), steals (1.6) and field goals made (7.4) per game. Unsurprisingly, Indiana tends to suffer without him in the lineup, going 5-14 in the 19 games that Haliburton has missed this season.

On top of that, Chris Duarte is also questionable for Friday’s Pacers vs Celtics showdown with ankle soreness. While missing his 8.0 PPG might not seem like a huge deal on paper, Duarte had been tallying 13.0 PPG in his last six outings prior to getting injured.

Chris Duarte and Tyrese Haliburton are listed as QUESTIONABLE in tomorrow's game against the #Celtics#NBA #Pacers #BoomBaby @ScottAgness pic.twitter.com/d3L1iaNJqr

— TheColdWire.com (@thecoldwire) March 23, 2023

The Pacers also must deal with the fact that they've lost 14 of their last 18 games against the Celtics. Though the last three meetings have been decided by five or fewer points, the big picture reveals just how badly Boston has dominated Indiana.

Adding insult to injury, the Pacers have only been victorious in one of their last seven trips to Beantown. Although that victory came back just in December, it doesn’t change it came during a time when Boston was in a slump, going 1-5 over a six-game span.

It’ll be hard for the Pacers to recreate that success considering that the Celtics are 15-4 in their last 19 outings at TD Garden. What’s even more impressive is that Boston has outscored the opposition by an average of 9.3 points.

The Celtics are also getting terrific play from their best players as of late. Brown is averaging 27.5 points on .514/.390/.759 splits over his last 12 games while Tatum tallies a 27.3-point, 10.0-rebound double-double over his last dozen. Even Al Horford is stepping up, averaging 3.4 threes on 58.7% shooting in his previous 11 contests.

The Pacers don’t own a defense that can slow those players down. After all, there’s a reason why Boston dropped 142 points on Indiana in their last collision. Simply put: the Celtics are on another level, especially on defense.

Pacers vs Celtics Prediction and Picks

Pacers vs Celtics Prediction: Celtics 134, Pacers 126

Pacers vs Celtics Picks: Pacers +12 (Best Value: -110 at BetOnline)

Although I fully expect the Celtics to win due to their being the better team, I’m siding with the Pacers on the spread as the best bet. After all, Indiana has covered in five of its last six meetings against Boston. Besides, the first two Pacers vs Celtics matchups of the season were only decided by an average of 4.5 points.

Even with the Pacers potentially missing Duarte and Haliburton, motivation to qualify for a play-in spot will be enough to help keep things closer than expected.

Best Pacers vs Celtics Prop Bet

Al Horford — Over 2.5 Threes (+128)

As mentioned above, Al Horford has been money from the three-point line over the last month or so. Going back a bit further, the veteran big man has averaged 3.1 three-pointers on 5.5 attempts (57.1%) over his last 14 games. Over that span, he’s hit the over on this prop 10 times — including in each of the last three games.

Fortunately for Horford, the Pacers allow the sixth-highest shooting percentage to centers. The 36-year-old veteran will find plenty of opportunities to get open in what should be another high-scoring affair, easily hitting the over on this prop in the process.

Other Indiana vs Boston Resources

• Pacers vs Celtics Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats