The Pacers had an epic meltdown to begin the Eastern Conference finals, committing two costly turnovers in the final 46 seconds and blowing a three-point lead in Boston.
The Celtics won, 133-128 in overtime, to take a 1-0 series lead, but they failed to cover the 9.5-point spread.
Nonetheless, Indiana missed an opportunity to steal a game while Kristaps Porzingis remained sidelined.
A key to success going into this series was determining which team would win the battle on the perimeter.
The Celtics were the best 3-point shooting team in the regular season, ranking first in field goals made (16.5) and attempts (42.5), and second in percentage (38.8).
And the Pacers had the best perimeter defense, leading the league with the fewest opponent 3-pointers (10.7) and attempts (29.3).
While Boston made two more 3-pointers (15-13) than Indiana in Game 1, the Pacers shot better from beyond the arc (37.1 percent- 33.3 percent).
However, the game ultimately came down to Indiana’s 22 turnovers vs. Boston’s 15.
Those turnovers resulted in 32 points for the Celtics, compared to 21 for the Pacers.
Despite facing another daunting task in Game 2 as a nine-point underdog, the Pacers can take solace that their mistakes in the series opener are correctable.
Betting on the NBA?
According to our Action Labs database, Boston is on a 0-5 skid against the spread during the playoffs at home after failing to cover the spread in its previous game.
Given the complete debacle in the series opener, the Pacers should be able to keep it close in Game 2, with a chance to steal one on the road and even up the series.
The play: Pacers +9 (-110, DraftKings).
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