The Indiana Pacers hope to stave off elimination but again could be without Tyrese Haliburton when they host the Boston Celtics for Game 4 of the 2024 Eastern Conference finals on Monday. Indiana squandered an 18-point lead and dropped a 114-111 decision on Saturday to fall behind 0-3 in the series. Haliburton, who is averaging 18.7 points in the 2024 NBA playoffs, missed that game and is questionable for Game 4 due to a hamstring injury. The Pacers fell to 6-1 at home this postseason with the Game 3 loss, while the Celtics improved to 5-0 on the road. Kristaps Porzingis (calf) is out for Boston, while Jrue Holiday (illness) is questionable.
Tipoff at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Boston is the 7.5-point favorite in the latest Celtics vs. Pacers odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 223.5. Before making any Pacers vs. Celtics picks, you need to see what legendary SportsLine handicapper Bruce Marshall has to say.
Marshall, who was synonymous with The Gold Sheet, the famed sports betting newsletter, has seen a vast array of editorial work featured in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the New York Post and many other outlets. He has won various handicapping titles and also is working on several book projects. Marshall has crushed his NBA picks this season for SportsLine members and is on a 194-143 run that has returned more than $3,700 for $100 players. Anyone following him is way up..
Now, he has set his sights on Celtics vs. Pacers and just locked in his picks and NBA playoff predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the NBA odds and betting lines for Pacers vs. Celtics:
- Celtics vs. Pacers spread: Boston -7.5
- Celtics vs. Pacers over/under: 223.5 points
- Celtics vs. Pacers money line: Boston -286, Indiana +230
- BOS: The Celtics are 18-11 against the spread this season when favored by 5.5 to 8.5 points
- IND: The Pacers are 9-3-1 ATS as home underdogs this season
- Celtics vs. Pacers picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Celtics can cover
Boston has been perfect on the road this postseason, winning all five of its games away from TD Garden. The Celtics were down 84-66 with less than six minutes remaining in the third on Saturday but outscored the Pacers 15-6 over the remainder of the quarter to cut the deficit to nine entering the fourth. Holiday came up big in the final period, scoring nine of his 14 points -- including the final five of the game on a game-tying layup with 38.2 seconds remaining and three free throws.
The 33-year-old Holiday has elevated his game offensively in the conference finals. He averaged 12.5 points during the regular season, 7.8 against Miami in the first round and 13.0 versus Cleveland in the second round but is producing 19.0 per game thus far in this series. Forward Jayson Tatum posted his 10th double-double of the playoffs and second in three contests against Indiana on Saturday, nearly recording his second triple-double this postseason with a game-high 36 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. See which team to pick here.
Why the Pacers can cover
Indiana came up with a strong offensive performance on Saturday without Haliburton, as the team had four 20-point scorers for the first time in a postseason game since Game 5 of its 1991 first-round series -- also against Boston. Andrew Nembhard led the Pacers with a career-best 32 points and dished out a game-high nine assists. The 24-year-old Canadian guard, who scored 21 of his points in the first half, was 4-for-7 from 3-point range while the rest of the club went 1-for-15 in the contest.
T.J. McConnell also had a big game for the Pacers, recording 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting, with nine rebounds and six assists off the bench. The 32-year-old guard finished with the most points by an Indiana reserve in a postseason game since Austin Croshere scored 24 against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2 of the 2000 NBA Finals. Forward Pascal Siakam extended his streak of 20-point playoff performances to six games with 22 in Game 3 and has reached the mark nine times this postseason. See which team to pick here.
How to make Celtics vs. Pacers picks
Marshall is going Over on the point total. He also has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the point spread. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins Celtics vs. Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals, and which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pacers vs. Celtics spread to jump on, all from the expert who has returned more than $3,700 on his NBA picks, and find out.
