Game 2 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals is set to take place on Thursday night, and it should be another great game. Boston comes into this game with a 1-0 series lead after taking Game 1 by a score of 133-128 in overtime.
Indiana came into this series with a ton of momentum as they picked up a huge win over the New York Knicks last round. The Pacers missed out on a great chance to win the series opener, but they now know that they can beat the Celtics.
Boston has gone 9-2 so far during this postseason run, but they have also struggled in Game 2 of each series. The Celtics can’t afford to lose this matchup as home court advantage could end up mattering in this series.
The Boston Celtics are 8.5 point betting favorites in Game 2 of this series, and the over/under line is set at 224.5 total points.
Pacers Want to Play Fast
The Indiana Pacers were the highest-scoring team in the NBA during the regular season, and they haven’t slowed down in the playoffs. Indiana wants to push the tempo all game long, and scoring 128 points should be good enough to win.
Tyrese Haliburton has been on a tear over the last few games and he had 25 points and 10 assists in the Game 1 loss. Indiana has been shooting the ball extremely well of late, and that will need to continue moving forward.
At some point, the Pacers are going to have to get some big stops on defense, but they just haven’t been able to get that done this season.
Celtics Must Get Stops
The Boston Celtics might have been able to survive in Game 1 of this series, but they are going to have to be better defensively. Boston has all of the tools to be a great defensive team, and they need to set the tone in this game.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 62 points in the series opener, and they also got great play from Jrue Holiday. Boston is still playing without Kristaps Porzingis, and they are coming into this game without much depth.
The Celtics need to find a way to slow down the pace in this game as they can’t afford to get worn down each night.
Celtics Cruise to Big Win
The Indiana Pacers proved to the world that they could play with the Boston Celtics in Game 1, but they still fell a bit short. Indiana has the offensive talent to keep pace in this series, but they also have to find a way to get stops on defense.
Boston did what they had to do to survive and hold serve on their home court, and that game should have woken them up a bit. Look for the Celtics to play great on both ends of the floor in this game as they will be looking to make a statement.
Bet the Boston Celtics -8.5 as this is going to be a big blowout win as they are able to take a commanding 2-0 series lead.
