May 25, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard (2) celebrates with forward Doug McDermott (20) after making a basket against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter of game three of the eastern conference finals in the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
- With Tyrese Haliburton likely to miss his second straight game, the Pacers’ supporting cast will get more usage in Game 4
- Andrew Nembhard’s total has ballooned from 12.5 last time out to 16.5 in Game 4
- Below, see my +742 Celtics vs Pacers same-game parlay for Game 4 on Monday night
Backs against the wall, the Indiana Pacers face a must-win at home in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final with the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately for the Pacers, star point guard Tyrese Haliburton is likely to miss his second straight game with a hamstring injury.
With Haliburton out in Game 3, the Pacers played brilliantly for about 2.5 quarters (taking an 18-point lead midway through the third), led by an electric 32 points from Andrew Nembhard and 22 apiece from Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner.
Today’s Celtics vs Pacers same-game parlay expects more of the same from Indiana’s remaining go-to scorers as they fight to keep their season alive.
Boston Celtics vs Indiana Pacers Same-Game Parlay (Game 4)
| Pick | Odds |
|---|---|
| Andrew Nembhard over 15.5 points | -125 |
| Myles Turner over 17.5 points | -110 |
| Pascal Siakam over 22.5 points | -120 |
| PARLAY ODDS | +530 (boosted to +689) |
Using the bet365 offer for a 30% parlay boost, the effective odds for this Celtics/Pacers same-game parlay come out to +689.
Odds as of May 27 at bet365. See SBD’s list of best NBA betting sites for the 2024 playoffs.
Game 4 is scheduled to tip-off at 8:10 pm ET on Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Pacers had been unbeaten at home in the playoffs before losing Game 3.
Indiana Trio Goes Off in Game 3
The trio of players in today’s Celtics/Pacers same-game parlay accounted for 76 of Indiana’s 111 points on Saturday (68.5%). The official injury reports for Game 4 list Tyrese Haliburton as questionable, but it’s clear that oddsmakers are confident the Indiana All-Star won’t play tonight in Game 4. Haliburton is absent from the Game 4 player props and his teammates’ totals reflect the increased usage they saw in Game 3 when he was in street clothes.
All three shot at least 50% from the field, as well.
I expect Rick Carlisle’s gameplan for Monday night to be markedly similar to Saturday. After all, it was working perfectly until Indiana’s late-game collapse. With Kristaps Porzingis out, Turner and Siakam have been able to be effective in the post (both hit 22 points in Game 3 despite not making a single three-pointer).
Boston’s defense, overall, has looked considerably more suspect against the run-and-gun Pacers than it did in the first two rounds against the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers. Boston came into the Eastern Conference Final allowing just 96.7 PPG. Indiana is averaging 116.3 PPG against the Celtics (112.7 excluding overtime).
The fact that Jrue Holiday (illness) is listed as questionable gives a little extra juice to the notion that the Pacers’ offense will find success. Holiday is a phenomenal perimeter defender whose on-ball defense produced the game-saving turnover late in Game 3.
Sascha was a hockey player in his youth, a lawyer in his capricious mid-20s, and has been with SBD since 2014. He specializes in football, basketball, politics, baseball, and hockey.