After an extremely tense overtime contest to open the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics will meet in Game 2 hoping to deliver another thriller. The Celtics were able to tie the game on a late Jaylen Brown triple to eventually win in overtime but will need to play better defense if they want to avoid a letdown. The Pacers will rue some missed opportunities, including a chance at the buzzer to steal the opener. We’ll see if Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle has more words about the officiating, as the Celtics shot 30 free throws in Game 1 as opposed to just 10 for the Pacers.
Kristaps Porzingis remains sidelined with a calf strain and is expected to return by Game 4. Xavier Tillman is listed as questionable for Boston due to a personal issue. He did not suit up in Game 1.
The Celtics are 9-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook with the total sitting at 224.5. Boston is -395 on the moneyline while Indiana is +310.
Pacers vs. Celtics, 8 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Celtics -9
The Pacers tend to bounce back well from losses, going 26-13-2 ATS in the category this season. The Celtics are 35-33-4 ATS after a win, although that’s largely due to their spreads being substantially higher than most favorites this season. Boston’s Game 1 performance was actually more reminiscent of their Game 2 struggles against the Heat and Cavaliers, where they got into a habit of shooting triples instead of attacking the basket. They were bailed out by their performance at the free-throw line and Indiana committing 21 turnovers.
Boston’s perimeter shooting is unlikely to be this bad again, and any improvement at that volume would have compounding effects. The Pacers are also unlikely to commit 21 turnovers again, although they have cooled off overall from the field. After coming up short in Game 1, their confidence might’ve taken a hit. I’ll back the Celtics to dominate Game 2.
Over/Under: Over 224.5
Even without overtime, the total for Game 1 would’ve gone over this number. The Pacers should be more efficient offensively when it comes to limiting turnovers, while the Celtics are unlikely to only shoot 33.3% from the perimeter again. I see this once again being a high-scoring contest so I’ll take the over to hit again.