Buckle up for long and wild night in the NBA with 10 games on board in today’s schedule. One of those games include a promising encounter between two high-scoring teams as the Paul George-led Indiana Pacers take on the struggling Boston Celtics, who have lost their last four games. Can George lead his Pacers to a huge road victory? Or can the C’s finally end their slump?
Line: Indiana Pacers (+2) at Boston Celtics (-2); total: 201.5– view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast:ESPN
Betting on the Indiana Pacers (22-16)
[sc:NBA250 ]When Paul George gets it going, it’s tough to beat Indiana Pacers. But when almost everyone on the team gets it going it’s almost impossible to beat them.
That’s exactly what transpired in Indiana’s dominant 116-97 win over the stumbling Suns last night. George led the way with his 21 points and seven rebounds while four other guys finished in double-figures as well.
George Hill contributed 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting along with five assists, and the trio of Monta Ellis, C.J. Miles and Ian Mahinmi combined for 43 points. Miles, in particular, really provided a huge boost off the bench thanks to his outside game. He’s knocked down 12 threes in the past five games with four coming against the Suns.
As a team, the Pacers are shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc, which is among the best in the league today. But relying on three-pointers might not be the best route to take versus the Celtics, who have done a solid job in covering opposing shooters.
One thing the Pacers can capitalize, though, would be to consistently attack the cup (42.1 points allowed per game) since Boston is allowing 42.1 points in the paint per game this season. That said, the onus is on George (24.1 PPG) and Ellis (13.2 PPG) to not settle too much on outside jumpers.
Those two can aggressively penetrate the lane and attract some double teams to open up Miles or Hill, who are shooting 38.7% and 42.7% respectively from down town this season, for some long-range bombs.
Indiana is 3-7 SU and 4-6 ATS in its last 10 road games.
Once again, the Boston Celtics wasted another 30-point effort from Isaiah Thomas. They fell short to the New York Knicks last night, 120-114, and are now on a season-high four-game losing streak. As a result, the Celtics dropped to third-place in the Central Division.
The Celtics will hope that a return home for a date with the visiting Indiana Pacers could finally stop the bleeding. For them to succeed in doing so, they can’t keep relying on Thomas on offense all a game long.
That said, look for Jae Crowder or Avery Bradley to carry some of the scoring load in this one. The two have played relatively well at the TD Garden this season, averaging 14.1 PPG and 14.5 PPG respectively. But it’s worth noting that they’ll be tested by a formidable Indiana defense (98.3 points allowed per game).
On the defensive side, the Celtics will really have their work cut out for them in stopping Paul George from piling up the points. George finished with 26 points on 10-of-22 shooting along with 10 rebounds in his last game against Boston. If he gets it going, it might be a long night for the men in green.
Boston is 4-6 SU and 4-5-1 ATS in its previous 10 homes games.
