The National Basketball Association has just one game on the schedule for Thursday night. The Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics are meeting in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed or streamed on ESPN.
Let’s keep building that bankroll for the rest of the NBA playoffs with our best bets for Thursday, May 23.
Thursday’s Best NBA Bets
Indiana Pacers (+315) @ Boston Celtics (-400) | O/U 225 (-108/-112)
The Pacers definitely have to feel like they squandered a golden opportunity. Indiana led by three points late, but Jaylen Brown hit a tying 3-pointer with 6.1 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, as Pascal Siakam got over on defense just a split second too late. The C’s outscored the Pacers 16-11 in the extra session to steal Game 1 in front of a raucous crowd at TD Garden.
While there is no value betting Boston straight up on the moneyline, as it costs you four times your potential return, it’s going to be hard for Indiana to bring the same kind of intensity from Game 1. The loss in overtime was definitely a gut punch. However, the Celtics have lost Game 2 on their home court in each of the first two rounds, and both times were as a double-digit favorite. Once is an anomaly, but twice is a developing pattern.
Indiana heads into this game off three consecutive covers while going 8-5 against the spread (ATS) in the past 13 playoff games. On the flip side, Boston has failed to cover the past three games while going 1-4 ATS in the past five postseason games after a 5-1 ATS mark in the first six playoff outings. Back the Pacers catching the points.
For the Celtics, they’ve cashed the Over in three in a row, and the total has gone high in four of the past five playoff games at home. The Pacers have also gone high in three in a row, including the 133-128 OT loss in Game 1 of this series. In the past seven road playoff games, Indiana has hit the Over at a 5-2 clip. Keep going high on the total until these teams start showing some semblance of defense or until the books adjust the total number too high.
In the rebounding department, Jayson Tatum has pulled down 10 or more boards in four straight games, including 12 rebounds in Game 1. He has hit double-digits in rebounds in eight of the past nine playoff contests, too. Tatum is a good bet to hit double digits again in Game 2.
Lastly, the 30-year-old Pascal Siakam misfired on both of his 3-pointer attempts in Game 1. However, he is too good of a value to pass up, as he simply needs one successful make from behind the arc to cash his player prop. Siakam hit two 3-pointers in Game 7 in New York, and he hit at least one 3-pointer in six of his eight postseason road games.
Bet: Pacers +9 (-112) & Over 225 (-108)
