Steve Merril NBA
NBA
(3% play) INDIANA +3.5 (at Boston) - 7:35 pm ET #707
Indiana opened the season with three straight losses, but the Pacers have gone 4-1 SU since then. Their lone loss in their last five games came by just 4 points at Cleveland. The Pacers are playing with confidence and momentum right now, and they already beat Boston earlier this season. Indiana won 100-98 at home, and the Celtics were a much healthier team for that game. Boston may be without two backcourt starters, so their bench and depth would be at a disadvantage in this game. The Pacers are playing at a much quicker pace this season, and their offense has come together recently; they’ve scored 97 points or more in three of their last four games.
Boston played last night in Milwaukee and the Celtics won 99-83 despite woeful shooting. The Celtics shot just 44.2% (38-86) from the field and 23.3% (7-30) from three-point land yet they won by 16 points. That was a terrible performance by Boston, especially since they went into that game off 3 full days of rest. Now they must wheel right back and play a back-to-back set against a better team that had last night off. Boston’s Avery Bradley injured his leg last night; he will be a game-time decision along with Marcus Smart who has missed the last three games with a toe injury. Indiana is simply the better team, so we’ll take the Pacers plus the points in this game on Wednesday night.
Play PACERS (+) as a 3% play.