The Celtics will try to improve to 3-0 when they face the Pacers on Saturday in the Eastern Conference finals, but the series shifts to Indiana where the Pacers may be without their best player.
Tyrese Haliburton remains an uncertain candidate after aggravating a left hamstring injury that caused him to miss 10 games in January.
Most sportsbooks have the Celtics as seven-point favorites and have the over/under total set at 222.5.
Celtics vs. Pacers Game 3 Predictions
It’s tempting to expect Boston to win with Haliburton questionable, but Indiana has performed so well at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in the playoffs that it’s hard to expect Boston to win comfortably.
The Pacers are undefeated at home in the playoffs this season, winning four of their six games by double digits.
So maybe the total points are a better bet for Game 3. Both games in this series have gone over, with Boston scoring at least 126 points in each matchup.
With or without Haliburton, the Celtics should be able to light up the scoreboard again.
What’s noteworthy is that in the 10 games that Haliburton missed in January, the Pacers still averaged over 118 points per game.
Indiana should be able to maintain its offensive prowess even without Haliburton.
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Pascal Siakam (26 ppg) has been fantastic in this series, and several members of the Pacers’ supporting cast are capable of scoring in double figures.
These two teams were the highest-scoring teams during the regular season and are still in the playoffs, so expect both offenses to play well on Saturday in Indianapolis.
play: Celtics vs. Pacers over 222.5 (-110, BetMGM)
