The Celtics controlled Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals, taking a 2-0 series lead heading back to Indianapolis. Saturday’s Celtics vs. Pacers Game 3 is shaping up to be a crucial matchup, as Indiana needs to salvage a victory before the series gets out of hand.
Jaylen Brown followed up his late-game heroics in Game 1 to put up 40 points in the second matchup, shooting over 50% from the field and 40% from three to lead the Celtics. Derrick White and Jayson Tatum each added 23 points. With the Celtics’ top three combining for over 80 points, the Pacers never had a chance. Even worse for Indiana, Tyrese Haliburton left with an apparent hamstring injury in the third quarter.
Here are the Celtics vs. Pacers Game 3 betting news, team analyses and player props as the NBA playoffs continue.
Here are the latest NBA betting odds for Boston vs. IndianaGame 3 at top-rated U.S. sportsbooks.
Boston is still awaiting Kristaps Porzingis’ return, but the team has been dominant even without him. The latest reports suggest that his earliest return would be Game 4, but if the Celtics go up 3-0, Boston could hold him back until the NBA Finals. The Celtics have not needed their big man because of how their stars have scored the basketball.
The Boston offense is playing at an elite level and making it very challenging for opposing defenses to game plan. Jayson Tatum had 36 points in Game 1, Jaylen Brown had 40 in Game 2 and we have seen Derrick White go for 30-plus in the postseason. On any given night, if too much defensive attention is put on any one player, the Celtics have another player who can go off.
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Regardless of being down 2-0, the entire Indiana fan base has a bigger worry right now: Tyrese Haliburton’s health. The Pacers won their last playoff series against the Knicks after being down 2-0, and they are undefeated at home in the playoffs. Without Haliburton, the Pacers will almost assuredly see their season end. Haliburton struggled and missed time with an injury to the same hamstring during the regular season.
The Pacers need Haliburton back and hope that he is not limited by the injury. Outside of Haliburton’s injury, the Pacers got a great performance from Pascal Siakam, who had 28 points to lead the team, with Andrew Nembhard chipping in 16 points. It was a stark contrast from Game 1, though, when seven Pacers were in double figures, with only four doing so in Game 2.
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Pascal Siakam has been the most consistent player for the Pacers, leading the team in scoring during the playoffs with 21.7 points per game. He scored 22-plus points in both games of the current series and four of his last five.
With Tyrese Haliburton potentially missing Game 3 or being limited, we like Siakam to have another high-scoring game. You can get a good value line for OVER 21.5 points (-120) at BetMGM.
With the way Boston is playing and the injury concerns around Tyrese Haliburton, the Celtics should continue to dominate and take a controlling 3-0 series lead with a win in Game 3.
Prediction: Celtics
