Expert Top Pick of the Day: Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics
The Indiana Pacers are still not high enough in the Central Division standings. They will encounter another chance to keep climbing up the standings and drift from their current 1-4 record in the last five games. Indiana will now visit the Boston Celtics at TD Garden in Beantown Monday night.
For the Pacers, the goal remains to start moving up from a fourth-place standing in the Central Division. For the Celtics, the story is very similar. Boston is now fourth in the Atlantic Division and looking for a path to the top of the standings with a 3-2 record in their last five performances.
Although the Celtics have four more wins than their Indiana rivals, their current position is not that different from the Pacers. The Celtics will have the home-court advantage this Monday night as they prepare to face one of the most inconsistent versions of Indiana in the last several years.
Pacers vs. Celtics Schedule
- Date: Monday, January 10, 2022
- Time: 07:30 PM EST
- Location: TD Garden, Boston, MA
Tatum’s Celtics Keep Fighting for a Spot at the Top
The Celtics might be fourth overall in the Atlantic Division, but they are not that far from top teams in the east. Boston has recorded a 19-21 record in the current season. Now, there is only a six-win gap between them and division lead Brooklyn Nets and seven wins to reach the conference-leading Chicago Bulls.
Boston is still in the fight, and it’s too early to throw away their season. Jayson Tatum still leads the Celtics with 25.5 points per game, followed by Marcus Smart with 5.4 assists. In addition, Robert Williams III is currently averaging 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game on the defensive end.
Although the Celtics were able to end a streak of two consecutive losses with a solid win over the New York Knicks on Saturday night, the squad’s most recent highlight was back on New Year’s eve. On the last day of 2021, the Celtics surpassed one of the Western Conference’s top teams, the Phoenix Suns, with a 123-108 win at home.
Pacers Look to Straighten Season Path
Before their most recent 125-113 home win over the Utah Jazz, the Pacers were on a dark path. Indiana had six consecutive losses and was almost on a track to drop towards the bottom of the conference.
Beating the number three team in the Western Conference has undoubtedly helped the squad gain some confidence. However, this next matchup with the Celtics will be the first chance to find consistency with solid wins after a series of dreadful performances.
Domantas Sabonis currently leads Indiana, averaging 19.3 points and 4.5 assists per game. Sabonis is also shooting 58.6% from the field. The Pacers need to keep relying on top players like Sabonis and hope for another career-high 42-point performance like Domantas had against the Jazz.
Pacers vs. Celtics Odds Comparison
The Pacers have what they need to take on the Celtics, but Boston’s numbers are still more robust than their Indiana rivals. The total has gone over in 10 of their last 15 games against Eastern Conference rivals for Indiana. The total has also gone over in five of the previous six games for Boston.
- DraftKings has the Celtics at -300 on a spread of -7, and the game total is 215.5.
- FanDuel has the Celtics at -290 on a spread of -7, and the total is 215.5.
- Caesar’s has the Celtics at -300 on a spread of -7, and the total is 215.5.
Godds Pick or Prediction of the Game
The odds are leaning towards Boston in this game. The Celtics are 12-8 at home so far this season. Indiana is now 3-15 in road games and is well below the gameplay level that Celtics are producing.
For Boston, Indiana might just stand as another opportunity to keep advancing in the division and conference standings as the league reaches its halfway mark.
- Godds Pick/Prediction: Celtics to win and the over hits.