Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics Prop Pick: Can Al Horford Stay Hot in Eastern Conference Finals Game 2?

Indiana Pacers vs. Boston Celtics Prop Pick: Can Al Horford Stay Hot in Eastern Conference Finals Game 2?

The Pacers and Celtics square off in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals from the TD Garden in Boston tonight. The Pacers made Game 1 very interesting as they led in the final few seconds of regulation before Jaylen Brown hit a massive three to tie the game and force overtime. The Celtics would eventually win by five in overtime and nearly avoided an embarrassing loss in Game 1 on their home court. They are heavily favored to win again in Game 2 as 8.5-point favorites. What should we expect in Game 2 tonight?

PACERS VS. CELTICS GAME 2 DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH

• Date: May 23, 2024
• Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
• Where to Watch: ESPN

INDIANA PACERS VS. BOSTON CELTICS GAME 2 PREDICTION

Many players had a good game in Game 1 as the total finished at 261 points. One of those players was Al Horford, who had 15 points. Even though he did not shoot very well, he got up a lot of shots and had enough volume to eclipse his points prop of 9.5 points. Now, in Game 2, he has bloomed up to 11.5 points. I think this is an overreaction and I will gladly take the under on the two-point line movement.

Even after Kristaps Porzingis went down in Game 4 of the first round, Al Horford still stayed under this number of 11.5 points many times. He is now 2–9 on the over of 11.5 points and his last two overs have come in the last two games. While he has hit his points prop in back-to-back games, I think moving him to 11.5 points is an over-adjustment and he comes back down to earth today.

It’s important to remember that Horford is a vet and has been in the league for a long time, as he is going to be 38 years old in a few weeks. While he came off the bench for most of the season, there’s a reason why he can’t play as many minutes as he used to and he is coming off a 40-minute game as game one went to overtime. I would not be surprised if Horford does not even get to 30 minutes tonight as a bit of a break, especially if the Celtics are in control and bounce back as I expect them to. Horford did have 15 points in game one, but he shot just 3–12 from three. He has now taken 25 three-point attempts over the last two games, which is a crazy high volume of shots for Horford that just will not continue. He averaged three three-point attempts per game in the Miami series and seven three-point attempts per game against Cleveland. He played the entire series against Cleveland without Porzingis with an average of just 9.6 points per game. Horford’s points prop has been hanging around 8.5–9.5 points since Porzingis went down and I think moving him a bucket higher is a bit of an overreaction to Game 1. Take Horford to go under this tonight and come back down to earth in a much more controlled role.

INDIANA PACERS VS. BOSTON CELTICS GAME 2 Prop Pick

Pick: Al Horford Under 11.5 Points -130 CLICK HERE TO SEE WHICH SPORTSBOOK HAS THE BEST ODDS

NBA ODDS

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