NBA best bets: Celtics vs. Pacers Game 3 odds, pick, prediction for Sat. 5/25  

Celtics vs. Pacers Odds

Saturday, May 25, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Odds via FanDuel. Get up-to-the-minute NBA odds here.

Boston Celtics

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum struggled mightily in Game 1, but the Celtics were extremely fortunate and escaped with a win. Brown bounced back in Game 2 with 40 points, but Tatum has continued to look shaky. It likely won’t matter against the Pacers, but it's worth keeping an eye on for the NBA Finals.

Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are the primary reasons the Celtics find themselves up 2-0 in this series. White and Holiday have consistently made great decisions, rebounded at a high level and have assisted on most of Boston's baskets. I really can’t say enough good things about those two and their level of focus on both ends.

Everyone focuses on Brown and Tatum because they average the most points per game, but the reason the Celtics are heavy championship favorites is because of the additions of two All-Stars — Kristaps Porzingis and Holiday — and White's ascension into an All-Star caliber player.

The Celtics are in a great spot to take a 3-0 lead as Tyrese Haliburton will likely be less than 100% if he plays and the Pacers seemingly have no answers for the Celtics' offense. The Celtics have shot the ball average, by their standards, but it hasn’t mattered as they've dominated the Pacers on the offensive glass, rebounding about 32% of their misses through two games.

Boston's offense is hard enough to stop for one shot, but when teams allow multiple shots, the Celtics are nearly impossible to stop. The Pacers must find a way to improve their defensive rebounding and get out in transition if they want to avoid going down 3-0.

Indiana Pacers

Monitor the injury report as Haliburton is questionable with a left hamstring injury. Haliburton left Game 2 late in the third quarter and did not return.

Haliburton is obviously the engine of this offense and his absence would be a big loss for the Pacers. If Haliburton sits, expect T.J. McConnell to start, which would be a big hit to Indiana's spacing and 3-point attempt rate. The Pacers need to continue to get up 3s if they want to hang with a Celtics team attempting over 40% of its shots from 3 in the postseason.

The Celtics have a 124.2 offensive rating through the first two games of this series and it hasn’t looked like the Pacers have an ability to get consistent stops, so they'll have to figure out how to generate more offense. They’ve shown an ability to score with the Celtics in the half-court and were +1 with Haliburton on the floor at halftime of Game 2.

The Pacers outscored the Celtics in the half-court in Game 1, but were awful in transition in that game. We saw that flip in Game 2, when they did a great job of setting their defense, but allowed an awful 122.4 half-court offensive rating to the Celtics.

They’ve lost these games largely due to their bench being clobbered, but the bright side is that the Pacers' starters have shown they can hang. Whether Haliburton is available will likely determine the Pacers chances in this game.

Celtics vs. Pacers

Betting Pick & Prediction

Without knowing Haliburton’s status, I like Celtics Team Total Over 114.5. Boston has shown it can score at will against this weak Pacers' defense. With or without Haliburton, the Pacers will continue to struggle as McConnell is also a poor defender at the point of attack. The Celtics have cleared this in both games and I just don’t see the Pacers having any answers for the greatest offense in NBA history. Trust the Celtics to reach 115 in Game 3.

Pick: Celtics Team Total Over 114.5