Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics Prediction NBA Picks 5/23/24

The Indiana Pacers and the Boston Celtics collide once again at the TD Garden in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night. Here's a Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics Prediction.

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers need to get a split on the first two road games if they want any realistic shot at moving onto the NBA Finals and they missed a real chance after falling just short to the Celtics in a 133-128 overtime loss in Game 1 on Tuesday. Tyrese Haliburton was the spark for the team early on as he finished with 25 points and 10 assists, Pascal Siakam added 24 points with 12 rebounds and seven assists, Myles Turner tallied 23 points with 10 rebounds and four assists while Andrew Nembhard chipped in with 12 points and seven assists. As a team, the Pacers shot a healthy 53 percent from the field and 13 of 35 from the 3-point line as they showed plenty of fight to claw their way back from an early 13-point deficit to lead by three points with possession and just 8.1 seconds left in regulation, before a costly inbounding turnover from Nembhard left the door open for the Celtics to snatch the game in overtime.

Boston Celtics

Meanwhile, the Boston Celtics would have been panicking a bit after failing to blow away the Pacers early despite a strong start, but they were still good enough to get the job done and hold onto home court advantage. Jayson Tatum led the team with 36 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, Jrue Holiday added 28 points with seven rebounds and eight assists while Jaylen Brown finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists. As a team, the Celtics shot 47 percent from the field and 15 of 45 from the 3-point line as they blew an early lead and looked to be in deep trouble with just 8.1 seconds on the clock, before the Celtics were able to force a key turnover and force overtime thanks to a clutch 3-point shot from Brown at the end of regulation.