Tip off: 7:30 PM EST
Spread: IND -3
Total: 175
M/L: IND -155, BOS +135
Odds taken from Bookmaker
The Pacers have been one of the surprise teams this year, but to those who know a bit about the game of basketball, it isn’t much of a surprise. The Pacers were just a couple pieces away from becoming a very good basketball team, and they added those pieces, namely George Hill and David West. The result has been a 12-5 start and they trail only the Bulls in the Central Division, but the Bulls have the best record in the league. Impressively, however, the Pacvers defeated the Bulls by 5 on Wednesday night in a game in which all five Pacers starters reached double figures and the Pacers shot 50% from the floor as a team.
The Celtics thorougly embarassed the Orlando Magic first on their home floor, and then again Thursday night as they erased a 27 point defecit and won by 8. They have been without starting point guard Rajon Rondo and legendary shooting guard Ray Allen, and they still are only 8-9, but they’ve now won three straight without their starting backcourt. That bodes well for a team that only really needs to make the playoffs to be a threat, as they have proven in the past.
Pacers Betting Trends:
Indiana is 6-2 SU in their last 8 games and the total has gone UNDER in 8 of their last 11 games. It has also gone UNDER in 5 of their last 7 on the road and the Pacerse are 4-1 SU in their last 5 road games.
Celtics Betting Trends:
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Boston’s last 11 games and they are 4-1 SU In their last 5 games. They are also 2-5 SU in their last 7 home games and 12-6 SU in their last 18 home games.
Key Matchups:
David West vs. Kevin Garnett
At one time, Garnett was an unstoppable force. Those days are long gone, but he still has a great mid range jumpshot and is a vocal leader for a great defensive team in the Celtics. They’re going to need that defense to control the Pacers balanced attack. West, though, is having the worst year of his NBA career, and is seeing only 28 minutes a game, mainly due to the fact that the Pacers have a great back up in Tyler Hansbrough. West is averaging almost 5 less points per game than his career average and shooting only 43% from the floor. Going up against KG probably won’t help his cause any, but the Pacers are going to need West to step up to reach the next level as a team.
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