The second game of the Eastern Conference Finals tips off tonight as the Indiana Pacers look to even their series against the Boston Celtics at one win each inside TD Garden at 8 p.m.
Indiana made the game much closer than expected Tuesday, taking the Celtics to overtime before falling 133-128. Starters Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Myles Turner scored 23 or more points on Tuesday, pacing the Pacers.
Boston relied on a big game from Jayson Tatum as the forward recorded 36 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Celtics. Jrue Holiday poured in 28 points while Jaylen Brown contributed 26 points for Boston.
With these two teams showing how evenly matched they were in the first game, is this a harbinger of how the series will unfold? We’ll cover that and our top three NBA Playoff player prop bets for the Indiana Pacers versus the Boston Celtics matchup on Thursday, May 23.
Indiana has relied on Pascal Siakam to carry the offensive burden since he arrived from Toronto. The 6-foot-8 forward has obliged, recording over 21 points per game as a Pacer. In Indiana, his rebounding statistics have increased as he’s grabbing 7.8 boards per game while cutting his turnovers down to just 1.4 per game.
Only two of Siakam’s 24 points came in the overtime period. Siakam has scored 20 or more points in five of the past six games. While he will be a focal point of the Celtics’ defensive plan Thursday night, there’s little reason to believe his 20+ points per game streak will not continue.
In the playoffs thus far, Boston small forward Jayson Tatum is leading the team in points (25.4), rebounds (10.5), and assists (5.6). The Celtics have not seen production like this for several years. Tatum’s role is needed as center Kristaps Porzingis continues to miss games due to a calf injury.
Still, Tatum is not covering the player-combo prop set by oddsmakers. In only three of the 11 postseason games played has the forward achieved over the 46.5-combo for points, rebounds, and assists. Even with overtime, Tatum fell short of the combo mark by three. Expect Tatum to continue falling just below the 46.5-combo mark tonight.
In four years, Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton has proven to be one of the most valuable players in the league. Few people average double-doubles in points and assists, but the 2020 lottery pick did that for a second consecutive season with 20.1 points and 10.9 assists over his 69 regular season games.
After averaging just 7.0 assists per game against New York in their previous series, Haliburton regained his rhythm Tuesday night. The Pacers point guard finished with 10 assists to record a double-double on the evening. Expect more of the same on Thursday night when these two teams face off again.
Three of the Pacers’ six losses are by double-figure margins in this postseason. Their success at making this game close Tuesday night aside, Indiana is still punching above their weight class in this contest with Boston. Expect the Celtics to come out red-hot tonight and win comfortably against the overmatched Pacers.
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