The Pacers regressed in shooting from 67% down to 53% and still almost won the game. What killed the Pacers were the 21 turnovers when they hardly turnover the ball as a team. There will be adjustments made defensively on both sides, and this is traditionally a Boston spot, but they cannot be trusted in game 2’s. Boston is letting the Pacers do what they want offensively and it’s hard to cover everyone because the Pacers have a deep bench too. Boston’s bench isn’t as deep and players like Hofford struggled to make 3 point shots, and there is no guarantee that the Celtics have more to give in this second game, even on defense. Boston still shot 47% from the field and 33% from the 3 and most everyone had a good game. However, Boston is 2-9 against the spread this season off a home no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite. And when they beat a team by 6 points or less, other than their usual double digit wins at home, they are 2-9 against the spread this season too. On the flip side, Siakam looks comfortable on the floor and the team also got 38 assists combined so they are playing as a team and sharing the ball. Miles Turner will have another good game because Boston is struggling to cover him, and McConnell, Nesmith and Nembhard will still be solid on defense. Both Siakam and Haliburton played well. The only area the Pacers where outscored in was in the free throws where Boston had 30 attempts while the Pacers had 10. That’s a big disparity because if those evened out, the boxscore would be different. The Pacers are 6-1 against the spread after a game where they attempted 20+ less free throws than opponent. The Pacers are coached well and this should not be a letdown spot for them as Carlise will have his team motivated again. The Pacers are a beast on offense and Boston will still struggle defensively to contain everyone. Boston may win the game, but the Pacers are going to push the pace and hang around right to the end again and make this whole series competitive. The Pacers are 4-0 against the spread this season in a road game where the total is 220 to 229.5.

Best bet: take the points with the Pacers.