The Boston Celtics will try to complete a perfect four-game homestand on Wednesday night with a win over the Indiana Pacers as 6.5-point betting favorites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Celtics have gone 3-0 both straight up and against the spread in the first three games, according to the OddsShark NBA Database.
Even with point guard Kyrie Irving missing two of the three with an eye injury, Boston had no problem dominating the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday and Friday of last week, respectively. Irving returned to action Monday and scored 17 points in 28 minutes, helping the Celtics rout the Brooklyn Nets 116-95 and cover as 10.5-point favorites.
Boston will be hosting an Indiana team playing the second game of a back-to-back situation, which has treated the visitors well so far this season. The Pacers have gone 5-1 SU and ATS under that scenario, with the lone loss coming to the Toronto Raptors 99-96 on December 19 in a game that they still managed to cover as 4.5-point road underdogs.
However, it is worth noting that four of the previous five times the second game of the back-to-back was at home.
Indiana is coming off a 123-115 road victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers as 10-point betting favorites on Tuesday, successfully bouncing back from a 121-105 loss at the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. The Pacers won for the seventh time in eight games and had failed to cover the spread in their previous three after beating the number in five straight and 10 of 12.
The Celtics will be looking to snap a three-game series losing streak here, and they have also gone 0-4 ATS in the past four meetings, with the total going UNDER in each of the last three.
Boston fell 102-101 at Indiana as a 3.5-point road underdog in the lone game between the teams this season back on November 3. Victor Oladipo led the Pacers with 24 points while Marcus Morris scored a team-high 23 for the Celtics off the bench and Irving had 18.
Boston Celtics
Boston is sitting as the +235 second choice (bet $100 to win $235) on the NBA betting futures to win the Eastern Conference behind the Toronto Raptors (+180). Indiana is fifth at +1600 following the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers (both +410).
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