Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics Prediction, Preview and Odds - 12/21/2022

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Venue:  TD Garden, Boston, MA

Where to Watch:  NBCS-BOS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Pacers +9.5, Celtics -9.5; Over/Under:  231 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Pacers +9.5, Celtics -9.5; Over/Under:  231 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pacers +9.5, Celtics -9.5; Over/Under:  231 points

 

Indiana Pacers:  15-16 (3rd place, Central Division)

Boston Celtics:  22-9 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

 

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Indiana Pacers:  3-7 last 10

Boston Celtics:  5-5 last 10

 

The Pacers are coming into this game with a 15-16 record overall and they are 6-9 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New York Knicks in their last game. Aaron Nesmith and Buddy Hield each led the team in points in that game with 23 while Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin each were next on the team with 15 points. Tyrese Haliburton led the team in assists in that game with 10 while Aaron Nesmith led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 43.3% from the field, 34.2% from 3-point range, and 65.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 114.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 115.6 PPG against them. The Pacers have an ATS record of 17-14 this season and their O/U record is 14-16-1.

 

 

 

The Celtics are coming into this game with a 22-9 record overall and they are 11-4 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak with losses coming against the Orlando Magic twice in their last 2 games. Jaylen Brown led the team in points in that game with 24 while Marcus Smart was next on the team with 15 points. Marcus Smart led the team in assists in that game with 7 while Jaylen Brown led the team in rebounds with 14. They were 34.8% from the field, 25.5% from 3-point range, and 85.7% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 118.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112.2 PPG against them. The Celtics have an ATS record of 18-13 this season and their O/U record is 15-14-2.

The current betting odds have the Celtics listed as a 9.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Celtics have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA all season as they are in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with a 22-9 record overall and they have been even better in home games where they are 11-4 this year. The Celtics have not looked good in their last 2 games as they just lost 2 in a row on their own home court to one of the worst teams in the NBA, losing 2 games in a row to the Orlando Magic. They are going to be looking to bounce back big after those bad losses so look for them to blowout the Pacers here as they let out their frustrations in this game. The Pacers have not been a great team this year and they have struggled a lot in their road games too. They have also lost 2 games in a row coming into this one but this will be a very tough environment for them to play in against one of the best teams in the NBA who just lost 2 games in a row to the same bad team and will be looking to bounce back here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Celtics to cover the spread in this game.

 

Pacers Celtics Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Wednesday, December 21, 2022 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Celtics 121 Pacers 104.

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Indiana Pacers: 6-13 ATS when playing with 2 days rest. 42-20 OVER when the total is greater than or equal to 230. 39-15 OVER off a home loss. 

Boston Celtics: 9-1 ATS off 2 or more consecutive upset losses as a favorite. 11-3 ATS after playing a home game. 11-3 OVER as a home favorite.

 

 

Indiana Pacers:  K. Brown (SG) Late Dec - Leg. D. Theis (PF) Out indefinitely - Knee.

Boston Celtics:  D. Gallinari (SF) out for season - Knee.

 

 

 

“Great basketball game; highly, highly competitive. It came down to the razor-thin margins of plays at the end of the game. They made some big plays and we were unable.” - Rick Carlisle after his team’s loss against the Knicks in their game on Sunday.

 

 

“We just have to come in right off the gate with high energy. We come in all sluggish and then try to wake up, that's when we get ourselves in trouble. It's going to happen. We understand it. You're going to have game's like that.” - Marcus Smart after their loss against the Magic in their game on Sunday.

 

 

 

PG Tyrese Haliburton 

SG Andrew Nembhard 

SF Buddy Hield

PF Aaron Nesmith

C Myles Turner

 

PG Marcus Smart

SG Derrick White

SF Jaylen Brown

PF Jayson Tatum

C Al Horford

 

 

PPG: T. Haliburton (19.5)

APG: T. Haliburton (10.7)

Reb/G: M. Turner (7.8)

 

PPG: J. Tatum (30.2)

APG: M. Smart (7.3)

Reb/G: J. Tatum (8.2)

 

Coaches:

Indiana Pacers: Rick Carlisle (2nd season)

Boston Celtics: Joe Mazzulla (1st season)