The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are set to square off in the second of back to back games between Eastern Conference contenders. The Celtics won the first meeting on Saturday night 118-101 in Indianapolis. Boston is now 28-7 and leads the Eastern Conference. Boston has won back to back games after their loss on January 2nd to Oklahoma City.
For the Indiana Pacers, they are now 20-15 on the season. Indiana had won six straight games before the loss to the Celtics. The Pacers beat the Hawks Friday night after scoring 150 points in the game.
The Boston Celtics are -2.5 on the road at the Pacers. The total for this game is listed at 243.5.
Boston Started and Finished Strong
The road team, Boston Celtics used a big first quarter and a huge fourth quarter to win on Saturday. The Celtics led by 12 after 1, and led by three after three, to only go on and win by 17 points. In the win, Jayson Tatum was fantastic, scoring 38 points, and roping down 13 rebounds, while dishing out 6 assists.
The Celtics also saw Jaylen Brown put together a nice game, with 31 points as well. Kristaps Porzingis had just two points in the game, playing just six minutes. He got poked in the eye, and did not return to the game. Porzingis is third on the team with just shy of 20 points per game. Derrick White is having a nice season for Boston, with more than 16 points per game.
Boston after this game will host the Timberwolves on Wednesday. Then, they will go on the road to Milwaukee on Thursday, before hosting the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Pacers Win Streak Comes to End
The Indiana Pacers were red hot before this loss on Saturday had hit a lull, but picked it up and won six straight games. Despite the loss, the Pacers saw five guys score in double digits for them. The top scorer in the game was Ben Mathurin, with 20 points in 35 minutes played. Tyrese Haliburton added 17, 6 and 7 in the loss.
Haliburton has been one of the best players in the league this season. In 32 games played; all started, the guard has scored 24.2 points per game, dished out more than 12 assists per game, and ripped down 4.3 rebounds. The Pacers come into this game as the top scoring team in the league; with just shy of 127 per game.
Indiana will host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, before going on the road. The Pacers will play at the Hawks, Nuggets, Jazz, Kings, Trail Blazers and Suns before coming back home to host the Nuggets on January 23rd.
Boston Tops Indiana
The Pacers are going to make every effort to even up this series, but the Celtics are ready to repeat what worked for them on Saturday, and win another game. Boston is the best team in the National Basketball Association, and they want to make sure the Pacers understand that as well. When push comes to shove, this is a game to bet the Celtics. Take Boston -2.5 over Indiana on Monday.
