Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics head-to-head, last 5 games, odds and more for 2024 NBA Conference Finals

The Indiana Pacers have set up a date with the Boston Celtics in the 2024 Eastern Conference finals after their Game 7 victory over the New York Knicks. All five of the Pacers’ starters finished with at least 17 points (Myles Turner) as they returned from the first quarter with a 12-point lead and never gave back control.

The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, are well rested after concluding their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1. Arguably the best team in the postseason, the Celtics are the clear favorites for this series but are up against a young side that is bound to test them more than the Cavaliers.

Indiana Pacers vs Boston Celtics head-to-head numbers last 5 games

The Pacers and the Celtics have faced each other five times this regular season. While Tyrese Haliburton has not been at his best during these games, the Pacers have won two, with the Celtics emerging victorious three times. The two teams last faced each other on January 30, when it finished 129-124 in the Celtics’ favor.

Here are the statistics from the last five matchups between the two sides:

Date	Home Team	Away Team	Score
Jan 30, 2024	Boston Celtics	Indiana Pacers	129 - 124
Jan 08, 2024	Indiana Pacers	Boston Celtics	131 - 133
Jan 06, 2024	Indiana Pacers	Boston Celtics	118 - 101
Dec 4, 2023	Indiana Pacers	Boston Celtics	112 - 122
Nov 01, 2023	Boston Celtics	Indiana Pacers	155 - 104

Regardless, both teams will be optimistic about their chances in the seven-game series.

The Celtics know that much of their job revolves around ensuring they limit the scoring and impact of Tyrese Haliburton. They have had the best defense in the postseason thus far.

However, they are against the best team, which has an offensive rating of 121.7 in the postseason.

Pacers-Celtics overall playoff numbers

Both teams have faced each other 29 times in the postseason. The Celtics have come out winners 17 times, while the Pacers have 12 victories. With the series set to tip off at the TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics will be hoping to stay true to the trend.

Here are both teams' numbers in the 2024 postseason thus far:

STAT	BOSTON		INDIANA
Points	Jayson Tatum	26.9	Tyrese Haliburton	20.1
Rebounds	Jayson Tatum	8.1	Myles Turner	6.9
Assists	Derrick White	5.2	Tyrese Haliburton	10.9
Steals	Jaylen Brown	1.19	Tyrese Haliburton	1.20
Blocks	Derrick White	1.19	Myles Turner	1.87
Field Goal %	Kristaps Porzingis	51.60	Obi Toppin	57.34
Free Throw %	Derrick White	90.13	Tyrese Haliburton	85.46
3-Point Field Goal %	Jrue Holiday	42.86	Aaron Nesmith	41.92

Series odds for Pacers-Celtics

Again, as expected, the overall spread is heavily tilted towards the Boston Celtics at -9.5. According to Moneyline, the Celtics are -455 favorites to win Game 1, with the Pacers having odds of +341.

Can the Pacers contain Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum?

The Pacers are an offensive-minded team, but the Celtics are well-equipped to deal with that. The series will need the duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum to be at their best for the Celtics to live up to expectations. Both players were in prime form against the Pacers in the regular season.

Tatum averaged more than 32 points per game, while Brown produced more than 28 points per game. Both stars proved too much to handle for the Pacers’ defence, which will once again be led by Pascal Siakam.

For the Pacers to ensure that they can hurt the Celtics on fast transitions, they will first need to limit the impact of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. If the Celtics’ star-studded lineup, which is expected to be without Kristaps Porzingis in Game 1, gets going, the series might be decided just as quickly as the Cavaliers one.

Limiting the impact of Tyrese Haliburton

There is little doubt that the Celtics have multiple high-quality perimeter defenders that can do the job throughout the entire series.

Jrue Holiday, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White have kept him in check in the regular season.

Haliburton averaged 20.1 points per game during the regular season but only managed 15.8 in five games versus the Celtics. In any case, while the Knicks allowed the Pacers' supporting cast to go off in Game 7, the Celtics will be desperate to play better defense than they did in their own series against the Cavaliers.

The imbalance between the two teams means that it might become too much for Indiana to win four games without Haliburton being at his best. The player seemingly holds the key for his team to compete in the upcoming series.