The Indiana Pacers (26-34, 18-14 Home) will try to slow down one of the NBA’s top scoring teams when they play host to the Boston Celtics (42-17, 18-10 Away) on Thursday.
Boston outplayed the Detroit Pistons 127-109 at TD Garden on February 15. Jayson Tatum was a top performer with 38 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
The Celtics are 0.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks atop the Eastern Conference, currently sitting in first. Indiana were victorious on February 15 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, beating the Chicago Bulls 117-113. Buddy Hield had 27 points to lead the team. The Pacers are 12th in the Eastern Conference.
The teams are meeting for the final time this season. After winning the only previous season meeting against Boston 117-112 at TD Garden in December 2022, Indiana will be seeking a season sweep. Tatum led the game in scoring with 41 points in defeat. Tyrese Haliburton had 33 points and eight assists for the Pacers.
Tatum and Jaylen Brown, averaging 30.6 and 26.5 points per game, respectively, have led the Celts in scoring this season. Tatum is sixth in the league in scoring. Tatum also has grabbed 8.6 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Marcus Smart is dishing 7.1 assists per game.
Haliburton (19.9 ppg), Myles Turner (17.5), and Hield (17.5) have supplied much of the Pacers’ offense. Turner also has posted 8.0 rebounds per game, while Haliburton has doled out 10.1 assists per game, third-most in the league.
The Celtics are averaging 117.9 points per game, ranking as one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league (4th).The Celtics have had the advantage in the last 10 games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, winning six.
In the last 10 games, Boston is 7-3 with an average margin of +8.4 (119.0-110.6). Indiana has gone 2-8 over the last 10, allowing 118.7 points per game on average while scoring only 111.4 (-7.3 margin).
CELTICS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Derrick White: 34.4 | 19.0 | +15.4
Jaylen Brown: 9.0 | 36.7 | -27.7
Points per game:
Derrick White: 22.6 | 11.8 | +10.8
Jaylen Brown: 4.0 | 26.5 | -22.5
Rebounds per game:
Robert Williams: 12.3 | 8.9 | +3.4
Jaylen Brown: 2.0 | 7.0 | -5.0
Assists per game:
Jayson Tatum: 5.8 | 4.5 | +1.2
PACERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jalen Smith: 5.7 | 15.6 | -9.9
Rebounds per game:
Jalen Smith: 3.3 | 5.6 | -2.3
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Boston Celtics -8.5 (-105)
Want up to a $1K risk free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information and predictions, head over to our NBA hub page for all your basketball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
