Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers Prediction, 1/6/2024 Preview and Pick
Game: Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers
Date: Saturday, January 6, 2024
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN
TV: Bally Sports Indiana
The Boston Celtics (26-7) are traveling to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the Indiana Pacers (19-14).
The Celtics played the Thunder and ended up losing by a score of 127-123 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Celtics walked away with 15 and the Thunder accounted for 22 fouls. They made 18 out of their 40 attempts from beyond the arc. Oklahoma City walked away from this one shooting 76.5% from the charity stripe by burying 13 of their 17 attempts. Additionally, Oklahoma City pulled down 38 boards (10 offensive, 28 defensive) and added 10 blocks. Oklahoma City distributed 34 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. Concerning defense, Boston let their opponent shoot 52.7% from the field on 48 out of 91 shooting. They also doled out 33 dimes in this contest while creating 10 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In the matter of hauling in boards, they earned a total of 47 with 17 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Celtics knocked down 24 of their 29 tries for a rate of 82.8%. Boston walked away from the contest having earned a 45.7% field goal percentage (42 out of 92) and made 15 of 40 3-point attempts.
Kristaps Porzingis is someone who played a role for the matchup. Porzingis finished shooting 66.7% from the field and also distributed 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins and also pulled down 10 boards. He left the arena with 34 points on 12 of 18 shooting.
Boston will enter this contest with a win-loss record of 26-7 so far this season. They are averaging 120.8 points per game (5th in the NBA) while connecting on 48.2% from the floor. The Celtics are hitting 37.4% on shots from beyond the arc (529 of 1,414) and 80.6% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Boston is snagging 47.3 rebounds per game and is sitting with 860 dimes this year, which ranks 20th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 13.1 times per contest and as a unit are committing 17.2 fouls every game.
On the defensive end, the Celtics have forced 12.4 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.5 fouls. They are ranked 4th in the NBA in giving up assists with 814 relinquished on the campaign. The Celtics are giving up a shooting percentage of 45.1% (1,368 of 3,031) and they concede 42.9 rebounds per game as a group. They relinquish 36.9% on 3-pointers while they are 5th in the NBA in points per game allowed (110.8).
When they last played, the Pacers went home victorious with a score of 142-130 against the Bucks. In the matter of rebounding, Indiana permitted Milwaukee to pull down 42 in all (10 offensive). They finished 37.8% from 3-point land by connecting on 14 of 37 and ended up shooting 24 out of 32 at the free throw line (75.0%). The Pacers permitted the Bucks to knock down 46 of their 92 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.0% in the matchup. In all, the Pacers walked away from this one shooting 50 for 90 from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 55.6%. Pertaining to shots from downtown, Indiana buried 14 out of 35 attempts (40.0%). They were able to make 28 of the free throws for a percentage of 82.4%. The Bucks had 25 personal fouls for the matchup which took the Pacers to the free throw line for 34 shots. They also coughed up the ball 10 times, while earning 7 steals for the game. The Pacers were able to collect 37 defensive rebounds and 7 offensive rebounds for a total of 44 for the game.
Tyrese Haliburton ended up being a major contributor for the Pacers in this contest. Haliburton scored 31 points in his 34 mins on the court and accumulated 12 dimes in this matchup. He buried 10 of 20 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and had 2 rebounds.
Indiana has a win-loss mark of 19-14 on the campaign. As an offense, the Pacers are shooting 50.8% from the field, which is ranked 1st in the league. Indiana has totaled 4,188 points for the campaign (126.9 per contest) and they pull down 40.5 boards per game. They are assisting teammates 30.7 times per game (1st in basketball) and they are turning it over 13.4 times per contest. The Pacers are committing 22.5 personal fouls every game and they go 79.6% from the free throw line.
The Pacers on the defensive side of the court are 29th in basketball in points per game surrendered with 124.6. They are forcing 14.0 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 50.3% from the field (30th in the league). The Indiana defense concedes 38.3% on shots from beyond the perimeter (354 of 924) and opponents are connecting on 81.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have conceded 25.2 dimes and 42.9 boards every game, which is ranked 9th and 11th in the league.
Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?
Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Boston
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