Update: Haliburton is out, while Holiday and Kornet are in. The lines haven’t moved much, and my picks are staying the same. I’ll stick with Boston as the ATS selection and the over on the total.
The Boston Celtics will look to complete their sweep of the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals Monday evening when the teams meet for Game 4 of the series. The Celtics managed to come back from down 18 in Game 3 to eventually take the contest, setting up the opportunity to close out the series in Indianapolis. The Pacers, who shot well from the floor but failed to execute in key moments, will try to extend the matchup despite the inevitability of a series loss. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit in NBA postseason history.
Tyrese Haliburton is officially being listed as questionable, although he’s closer to doubtful per most reports. He didn’t play in Game 3. Kristaps Porzingis is out for Boston, while both Luke Kornet and Jrue Holiday are questionable. Holiday played in the last game and had a crucial steal at end of the contest to secure a win for Boston.
The Celtics are 7.5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook with the total coming in at 222.5. Boston is -298 on the moneyline while Indiana is +240.
Celtics vs. Pacers, 8 p.m. ET
Pick ATS: Celtics -7.5
The Pacers have covered this line in two of the three games in this series, but they’re unlikely to keep shooting at this level from the field. Haliburton being out is eventually going to hurt them, and it sounds like he isn’t going to be able to suit up for Game 4. Meanwhile, the Celtics continue to find ways to win and are eventually going to start connecting on a bunch of their threes. Boston has maintained a healthy advantage on threes and free throws, which has kept the team in games despite Indiana’s strong field goal percentage.
Even though the Pacers are 9-3-1 ATS as home underdogs this year, I think the Celtics close out this series without much trouble tonight. Give me Boston to complete the sweep and advance to the Finals.
Over/Under: Over 222.5
All three games so far in this series have gone over the total, which hasn’t moved much despite stellar scoring from both sides. The total in Game 3 was close to going under though, getting a boost due to Boston’s comeback. I’ll still back the over even with Haliburton likely to be out.