The Indiana Pacers host the playoff bound Boston Celtics, Monday March 28, as the Celtics look to catch up to the front of the East. The Celtics lead the Pacers 5-0 SU in their last five meetings. NBA oddsmakers have the Celtics as -2 point road favorites over the Pacers with the over/under set at 188 points. Be sure to check the Celtics vs Pacers NBA Point Spreads and get your predictions in early.
Boston (51-21) (22-13 V) have won five of their last ten games, and have won three of their last six on the road. The Celtics have already clinched a fourth consecutive division title, so a 5-6 stretch heading into its final 10 games isn't overly concerning. The Celtics are only playing for seeding. They are second in the conference, two games behind first-place Chicago and one-half game in front of Miami for third. The Celtics are playing stifling defense of late, yielding just 83.2 points over the last 10 games. However, they're also sputtering offensively in that span, scoring 85.9 points per contest. Boston appeared to be comfortably on its way to a victory Sunday, but blew a 25-point, second-quarter lead before pulling out an 85-82 win over Western Conference-worst Minnesota to open this four-game road trip. "You've got to work to win them all," said forward Kevin Garnett, who had 13 points and 13 rebounds against the Timberwolves. It's unclear if Rajon Rondo, among the NBA's leaders with 11.4 assists per game, will play after sitting out Sunday's win with an injured right pinky finger. The All-Star point guard is averaging 9.6 points and 10.4 assists over his last seven meetings with Indiana, but has appeared in only one of three matchups this season due to injuries.
Indiana (32-42) (19-16 H) have dropped five of their last ten, but have won three of their last five on home court. The Pacers are in the midst of the tight race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Indiana is just one game ahead of ninth-place Charlotte and two in front of Milwaukee for 10th. Indiana has also played two more games than its pursuers, and its lead was put in further jeopardy following a 100-88 loss at Detroit on Saturday after falling 110-93 to Sacramento the previous night."We just gave away two games in the last two nights to two teams that wanted it more, and just let other teams right back in the hunt," forward Danny Granger said Saturday. "We have to step it up and if we don't we will be out of the playoffs." The Pacers dropped 11 of 13 meetings with the Celtics, including five in a row while averaging 89.6 points on 40.2 percent shooting. Indiana made just 37.5 percent of its field goals in a 92-80 loss at Boston on March 16. Granger has struggled greatly over the last four contests versus the Celtics, making 28.6 percent of his field goals while hitting 4 of 23 from beyond the arc to average 16.3 points. He's entering this matchup in sluggish shooting form, making 9 of 27 shots to total 34 points over the last two games.
Recent Trends to Consider:
Celtics are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
Favorite is 4-0 ATS in the last 4 meetings.
Under is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
Celtics are 9-3 ATS in the last 12 meetings in Indiana.
Home team is 8-3 ATS in the last 11 meetings.
Celtics vs Pacers
When: Monday, March 28, 7:00 PM ET
Pick: Celtics -2
Point-Spreads.com recommends you check out NBA Point Spreads before Celtics vs Pacers game.
The Bottom Line: The Celtics need to start playing playoff ball and this is the perfect t8ime to start. Be sure to check Celtics vs Pacers Basketball Point Spreads and get your predictions in early before Celtics vs Pacers game.
