Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics Best Bet for Jan 30

Indiana Pacers (27-20 SU, 26-19 ATS) vs. Boston Celtics (36-11 SU, 22-23 ATS)

When: Tuesday, January 30th, 7:30 PM (ET)

Where: TD Garden, MA, Boston

TV: TNT

Point Spread: Ind +7/Bos -7

Total: 241

Money Line: Indiana Pacers +221/-276

Notable Injuries

Pacers

• Myles Turner (Questionable) Back
• Jalen Smith (Questionable) Low Back
• Tyrese Haliburton (Questionable) Hamstring
• Bennedict Mathurin (Questionable) Toe

Celtics

• Kristaps Porzingis (Questionable) Ankle
• Luke Kornet (Questionable) Hamstring

At 7:30 ET, the Pacers will take on the Celtics at TD Garden in Boston. The Celtics (-276) are favored by 7 points over Indiana (+221). The over/under line for the game is 241 points.

Indiana comes into the game with a record of 27-20 and has won three straight. The Pacers are currently 6th in the Eastern Conference and 3rd in the Central Division. The Celtics are 36-11 and are 1st in the East and 1st in the Atlantic Division.

Recent Form

Indiana has won three straight games and is currently 27-20 on the season. In the Eastern Conference, they are in 6th place and are 3rd in the Central Division.

On the road, the Pacers are 11-11 this season, and their ATS record on the road is 12-9. Overall, they are 16-9 as the underdog this season.

In their win over the Grizzlies, the Pacers were favored by 8 points but won by just six (116-110). The O/U line for that game was 228.5.

This season, Indiana has an O/U record of 28-19, and their games have averaged 247.6 points per game. Today’s O/U line is set at 241.

In non-conference games, the Pacers are 6-9 compared to 21-11 against the East. Against the spread, they are 26-19 overall and 12-9 on the road.

Today, the Celtics will look to improve their ATS record of 22-23 as they are favored by 7 points. At home, they have an ATS record of 12-10 compared to 10-13 on the road.

In their last three games, the Celtics have failed to cover the spread at home. Overall, they have an average scoring margin of +13.0 points per game at home.

This season, the Celtics have been favored in 44 of their 47 games. Their ATS record as the favorite is 20-22 and 34-10 straight-up. As the favorite, they have an average scoring margin of +10.1 PPG.

Boston’s O/U record for the season is 23-24, and their last two games have gone under the betting line. On average, their games have finished with 230.9 points, which is lower than today’s line of 241.

In their last game, the Celtics defeated the Pelicans by a score of 118-112. They were favored by 8 points going into the game. The combined scoring in the game was 230 points, and the O/U line was 234.5.

The Celtics are currently in 1st place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 36-11. Against other Eastern Conference teams, they are 24-6 and 11-1 in their division. On the road, the Celtics have won four straight games and have a road record of 15-9.

The Historicals

The Celtics have had the better record vs the spread over the last 5 games, going 3-2. The team’s average scoring margin in these contests sits at 16 points per game. A combined average of 238 points per game was achieved in these matchups, leading to an over-under mark of 2-3.

Analysis

This season, the Pacers are the top-scoring team in the NBA, averaging 124.8 points per game. They are also the top-scoring team on the road, averaging 122.5 points per game.

Indiana is also the best shooting team in the league, hitting 50% of their shots. They are also the top team in two-point shooting at 58%.

So far, the Pacers have outscored the NBA scoring average in 72.3% of their games. In terms of pace, they are 3rd in the league at 102 possessions per game.

As they prepare for the upcoming game, the Pacers is focused on shoring up their defense, as they are currently allowing an average of 122.8 points per game (28th). So far this season, the Pacers’ defense has struggled with fouls, averaging 1st in fouls per contest. On average, opponents are getting to the line 27.4 times per game vs. Indiana.

The Celtics have been one of the most prolific three-point shooting teams in the league this season, leading the NBA in both three-point attempts and makes per game. They are hitting 37% of their attempts from beyond the arc, which is 4th in the league.

When it comes to scoring, the Celtics are 5th in the NBA at 120.2 points per game. However, they have actually been better on the road this season, averaging 119 points compared to 121.5 at home.

In terms of pace, the Celtics are 18th in the league at 98.5 possessions per game. Overall, they are 15th in field goal percentage at 47% and have been one of the most efficient shooting teams in the league with a true shooting percentage of 56% (6th).

Coming into the game, the Celtics defense has held opposing teams to fewer points than the league average in 27.7% of their games. Currently, they are 4th in the NBA at 110.7 points per game allowed. For the season, Boston is ranked 29th in fewest fouls per game. Team’s are averaging 19.0 free-throws per game vs. the Celtics and have an overall field goal percentage of 45.2%.

Betting Trends

• Across the Pacers last ten road games, the team averaged 115 points per game while allowing 116. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 6-3-1, while going 5-5 straight-up.
• In their last three home games, Boston has averaged 126 points per game while allowing 109. The team’s record in this stretch was 3-0 while going 2-1 vs. the spread.
• In their last three games as the betting underdog, the Pacers have a strong straight up record of 2-1. In addition, their ATS record was 2-0-1 in these scenarios.
• Through their previous five contests as the betting favorite, the Celtics have a strong record of 4-1. Their record vs the spread in these matchups is 2-3.

Joe’s Pick To Cover The Spread

There is hope that Tyrese Haliburton makes his returns to the Pacers lineup today. However, they are still 7-point underdogs against a Celtics team that is dominant at home. Even with Kristaps Porzingis listed as questionable, I’m taking the Celtics to pick up the win and cover the spread.