Celtics at Pacers 4/5/19 - NBA Picks & Predictions

In the first game of a Friday night NBA on ESPN doubleheader, the Boston Celtics will invade Bankers Life Fieldhouse to take on the Indiana Pacers.

The Celtics have won consecutive games and trail Philadelphia by 2.5 games for third place in the East. On Wednesday, Boston finished off a home-and-home sweep against Miami with a 112-102 road triumph. The Celtics assisted on 25 of their 38 made field goals and shot 48 percent overall.

Gordon Hayward led all scorers with 25 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes off the Boston bench. Al Horford chipped in 21 points and eight rebounds for the Celtics. The Indiana Pacers have won 29 of their 39 homes games and are currently tied with Boston for fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings. On Wednesday, Indiana took advantage of Detroit F Blake Griffin’s absence during a 108-89 road victory. The Pacers forced 20 turnovers and limited the Pistons to 39 percent shooting.

Thaddeus Young led five Indiana players in double figures with 21 points and eight rebounds. Domantas Sabonis contributed 15 points and 13 rebounds off the bench.