The Eastern Conference Finals resume Saturday, May 25 as the Boston Celtics attempt to close out the homesteading Indiana Pacers inside the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Indiana nearly achieved a series split with Boston, but an overtime loss on Tuesday killed that prospect. Now, the Pacers have to dig themselves out of the 0-2 hole against Boston perhaps without one of their best players.
The Celtics enter Indiana’s homecourt riding high after a 126-110 victory Thursday. Jaylen Brown erupted for 40 points in the victory, helping Boston inch closer to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010.
Will the Celtics take a commanding 3-0 lead over the Pacers, or will Indiana find a way to win this game? We’ll cover that and our three best NBA Playoff player prop bets for Saturday, May 25 below.
Live player props data coming soon for Jayson Tatum.
Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum UNDER 29.5 Points
Feed the hot hand. That’s exactly what Boston did on Thursday as Brown hit over 50 percent of his field goals and 40 percent from behind the three-point line. As a group, Boston does an excellent job of finding the open shooter to score points in bunches.
The Celtics’ postseason leading scorer is Jayson Tatum, and the 6-foot-8 small forward is averaging just one point less than his regular season total heading into the third game of this series.
Tatum scored 23 points on Thursday as Brown carried the scoring load. Expect Tatum to concede this role to another teammate again on Saturday and finish under 30 points.
Live player props data coming soon for Pascal Siakam.
Indiana Pacers’ Pascal Siakam OVER 22.5 Points
Scoring wasn’t the issue for Indiana on Thursday night as the team posted 110 points in the loss. Six players recorded eight or more points in the game, including forward Pascal Siakam’s team-best 28-point effort.
News broke Friday that guard Tyrese Haliburton is a game-time decision due to an injury that occurred in the team’s Game 2 loss. Without Haliburton, the offense will roll entirely through Siakam and give the forward every opportunity to score points on Saturday.
Expect him to cover this player prop bet either way. Let's take the Over!
Live player props data coming soon for Derrick White.
Boston Celtics’ Derrick White OVER 2.5 3-Point Field Goals
Boston jumped out to a solid Game 2 lead and never looked back. The Celtics turned a six-point halftime lead into a 13-point contest entering the fourth by connecting on 68 percent of their third-quarter shots. The Celtics were just 38 percent from the three-point line in their series against Indiana.
Despite the team’s average shooting performance from behind the arc, this is an excellent line for Derrick White. In eight of the 12 postseason contests he’s played, White has 3+ three-point field goals.
In both games in this series, White has connected on more than 43 percent of his three-point field goal attempts, giving bettors confidence he will continue that run Saturday.
Best Bet: Indiana +7
Even without Haliburton suiting up, I believe the Pacers will find a way to keep this game close if not outright win the contest. Indiana is a scrappy bunch, reaching this level due to their ability to outhustle other teams.
While Boston isn’t flashy, the team is resourceful. Final score prediction: 117-114 Boston. Let's take the points with Indy!
