NBA Betting: Is the Indiana Pacers Incredible Playoff Run Finally at an End?

After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers find themselves down 0-2 to the Boston Celtics. Thursday’s Game 2 loss was an ugly one, showing the wide talent gap between the two teams. Betting sites appear to believe this series is over, but is that really the case?

Below, we’ll be sharing how our NBA experts view the Pacers chances in the final five games of the series. We’ll give you everything you need to wager on these games on your favorite sports betting apps.

As we mentioned above, even Indiana sportsbooks now have the Celtics as the overwhelming favorite to win the series. Here are the latest odds from three of the top NBA betting sites:

While being down 0-2 is a problem, the Pacers overcame the same deficit in the second round. They dropped the first to games to New York before coming back to win the series in seven games. In fact, the Pacers have bounced back from ugly showings multiple times during this postseason run, showing how resilient they can be. Mental fortitude is an important factor in the playoffs, especially in the Conference Finals.

There is also the fact that the Pacers came incredibly close to stealing the first game of the series. A bad turnover and a last second three-pointer from Jaylen Brown sent the game to overtime, where Indiana simply ran out of gas. The close loss took its toll on Indiana and helped lead Boston to a far more impressive Game 2 win.

Indiana will now be heading home for Game 3, where they have yet to lose a game. The homecoming will be a boost for this team, with their home crowd giving them the life they need after Game 2. If they can defend their home court, they’ll need to steal just one road game to win the series.

While Indiana can be hard to predict, we agree with bookmakers that this series is all but over. One big reason for that is Jrue Holiday, who has been able to lock down Tyrese Haliburton. The young superstar is struggling to get his shots against the elite defender, managing just ten points in Game 2. The Pacers live or die by Haliburton, which is a bad sign for the rest of the series.

The Celtics will be getting another major weapon back this week in Kristaps Porzingis. The former All-Star has been out with a calf injury but averaged 20.1 points and 7.2 rebounds during the season. He will make Indiana’s life far more difficult, likely keeping this series short.

As well as the Pacers have played, it’s important to remember their path to the ECF was not as difficult as it seemed. They beat a Bucks team that was without Giannis and had Dame miss some games. Then they beat a Knicks team that was missing Julius Randle, lost OG Anunoby to an injury at the start of Game 3, and Jalen Brunson playing with a broken hand.