Just like nearly every team in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers were a much better home team than on the road this season. They need some home cooking in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Friday night. The Boston Celtics lead 2-0 but are underdogs Friday on the NBA Betting lines.

How to Bet Celtics vs Pacers 2019 NBA Playoffs Betting Lines & Game 3 Info

Playoff Tatum has arrived 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hBPzkL9lj2

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) 18 de abril de 2019

• When: Friday, 8:30 PM ET
• Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse
• TV: ABC
• Live Stream: NBA League Pass
• Radio: TuneIn/NBA
• 2019 NBA Playoffs Betting Lines: Indiana Pacers -3 (Total 204)

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Why Bet on Boston?

The Celtics rallied in Game 1 for a 10-point win and did the same in Game 2, prevailing 99-91. With 10:55 remaining in the game, Boston trailed 82-70, matching its largest deficit of the night. But after Al Horford canned a jumper with 10:54 left, the Celtics caught fire. Including Horford’s jumper, the Celtics scored 16 straight points from the 10:54 mark to the 4:44 mark. That run turned a 12-point deficit into a four-point lead.

Kyrie Irving accounted for the final eight points of the run, and Jayson Tatum hit the clinching three-pointer with about 50 seconds to go. Irving lit up the Pacers on Wednesday with 37 points on 15-of-26 shooting, adding seven assists, six rebounds, two blocks, and one steal. Irving hit 6-of-10 triples while committing just two turnovers in 39 minutes.

Tatum finished with 26 points. Horford finished with four points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 37 minutes of action. Horford was questionable to play due to an illness.

Boston outrebounded Indiana, 48-36. Boston scored 23 points off of Indiana’s 12 turnovers, and Indiana scored 20 points off of Boston’s 14 turnovers. Boston also outscored Indiana by 19 points while Terry Rozier was on the floor for his 20:35 of playing time.

Team Stats

Offense

• Total Score: 111.89
• Field Goal Percentage: 46.41
• Three-Point Percentage: 36.50
• Free Throw Percentage: 80.29
• Total Rebounds: 44.73

Defense

• Total Score: 107.35
• Field Goal Percentage: 44.72
• Three-Point Percentage: 34.27
• Free Throw Percentage: 76.05
• Total Rebounds: 45.71

Why Bet on Indiana?

The Pacers were dominated in the third quarter of Game 1 in scoring just eight points on the way to blowing a lead. They were dominated in the fourth quarter of Game 2 in scoring just 12 points in blowing another lead. Through three quarters on Wednesday night, the Pacers put themselves in prime position to steal homecourt advantage away from the Celtics, taking an 11-point lead into the fourth.

“We’ve got to finish,” Pacers head coach Nate McMillan said after Wednesday’s loss. “We’ve got to do a better job of finishing games and situations like that. Execution on both ends of the floor, getting stops defensively, offensively being clear about what you need to do in that situation.”

About the only Pacer who has played well this series is Bojan Bogdanovic. He finished Game 2 loss with 23 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists, making 9-of-21 shots with four 3-pointers. Bogdanovic had 10 of Indiana’s 33 points in the first quarter. He led the team in scoring after Victor Oladipo’s season-ending quad injury, averaging 20.3 points. Thaddeus Young added 15 points, six boards, three assists, and three steals. After going 6-for-27 from 3-point range in Game 1, the Pacers were much better from beyond the arc in Game 2. Indiana hit 13-of-34 3-point shots on Wednesday.

Myles Turner had another quiet game on Wednesday with eight points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two 3-pointers in 33 minutes. To have any chance in Game 3, Indiana needs Turner and Domantas Sabonis (one point, five boards, five assists) to provide much more than they had in Game 2 (or Game 1 for that matter).

Indiana finished the regular season with a 29-12 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, including an 18-8 home record against Eastern Conference opponents. That’s 30 straight seasons with a home winning record. The NBA record for the most consecutive seasons with a winning record at home is held by the Phoenix Suns, who posted 34 straight winning seasons at home from 1969-2003. Since the building’s opening in 1999, the Pacers have posted a 541-268 (.669) record at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Boston and Indiana split there this year.

Team Stats

Offense

• Total Score: 107.40
• Field Goal Percentage: 47.29
• Three-Point Percentage: 37.25
• Free Throw Percentage: 74.86
• Total Rebounds: 42.96

Defense

• Total Score: 104.37
• Field Goal Percentage: 44.93
• Three-Point Percentage: 35.43
• Free Throw Percentage: 75.70
• Total Rebounds: 43.88

Celtics vs Pacers 2019 NBA Playoffs Betting Trends

• Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings in Indiana
• Favorite is 3-1-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings
• Boston is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road
• Boston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
• The total has gone OVER in 7 of Boston’s last 9 games on the road
• Indiana is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
• Indiana is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana’s last 6 games

Expert Final Score Prediction for Celtics vs Pacers

Boston Celtics 103 – Indiana Pacers 101