We’re down to the final four in the NBA Playoffs and while most everyone expected the Boston Celtics to be playing for a trip to the NBA Finals, I’m not sure many outside the state of Indiana had the Pacers reaching the Eastern Conference Final. The teams square off in Game 2 of their series on Thursday, May 23 with tip at 8:30 p.m. ET on TNT. The Pacers advanced with a Game 7 rout of the Knicks at MSG when they shot 67 percent from the field and 54 percent from three-point range. The Pacers went just 2-5 on the road in their first two series, but that’s all they needed since they’ve were perfect at home.
Needing only five games to win each of their first two series, the Celtics enjoyed a little breather before returning to the court. Their only two playoff losses came in Game 2s at the Garden. The Celtics lost 111-101 to Miami in the first round when favored by 14 points. They also lost 118-94 to Cleveland in the second round when laying 13 points. Boston earned six payouts in their first 10 playoff games despite being a double-digit favorite eight times.
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NBA Parlay Picks for Thursday, May 23, 2024
Indiana ATS
Indiana / Boston OVER
Bet $100 to win $271
I played two separate same game parlays last week splitting my two wagers on each game to come out a loser. It pays to shop around for the best lines even if you don’t think a half-point is worth much. I backed Boston at -14.5 in their 113-98 win over Cleveland in Game 5. The 15-point margin made me a winner, though some shops had the closing total at 15- or 15.5-points. In the end it didn’t matter since I bet the UNDER at 204.
I expected OKC to seize the momentum from their big Game 4 win and carry it over. The offense was stymied in a 104-92 loss with the Thunder losing outright as a 4.5-point favorite. The lack of points did allow the UNDER to cash only adding misery to the insult. Maybe we’ll find more clarity in the conference finals, but the way the NBA betting season has gone I doubt it.
The Pacers and Celtics played five entertaining regular season games with Boston emerging victorious in three of them. Boston won both games on the parquet floor cashing the OVER in each contest. Indiana led the NBA in scoring during the regular season and routinely played with a total around 230 with the number getting into the 240s. Playoff basketball tends to be more of a struggle with the over/under dropping by several points. However, the Pacers have success when pushing the pace and that isn’t going to change.
Indy scored at least 120 points in seven of their games during the first two rounds and savagely beat the Knicks in Game 7 of their second round series by making 53 of 79 shots overall. It was a clinic against a strong defensive team. On average the Pacers are scoring nearly 10 points per game less in the postseason than they did during the regular year.
Boston boasts the second-best scoring defense in the postseason allowing less than 97 points per game. However, the Celtics had the benefit of not facing Miami’s leading scorer Jimmy Butler in the first round and watched Cleveland’s top point-producer Donovan Mitchell miss the last three games of their second-round series. Boston is strong defensively, but the numbers look a lot better when you don’t have to defend scoring threats.
I don’t think the Pacers are going to be in awe of their opponent. They did knock off the No. 2 and No. 3 seed in the East to get here and posted a pair of wins over Boston during the season. Indy will be looking at a spread upwards of double figures and that’s too good to pass up for a team that feels it has nothing to lose.
NBA Schedule for Thursday, May 23
Indiana at Boston, 8:30 p.m. ET / TNT
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