The Boston Celtics can move to the brink of the NBA Finals with a Game 3 win against the Indiana Pacers tonight, and while the moneyline may not offer a ton of value here, the NBA props market is a different story.
Given the uncertainty around Tyrese Haliburton’s hamstring injury and whether T.J. McConnell and Andrew Nembhard will step into even bigger roles, I’m leaning heavily toward Boston player props for my NBA picks.
Here’s my SGP pick for what’s a must-win contest for Indiana on May 25.
Celtics vs Pacers parlay picks May 25
- White Over 5.5 assists
- Pritchard Over 1.5 threes
- Nesmith Over 11.5 points
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Best Celtics vs Pacers parlay picks for Saturday
NBA parlay pick
Derrick White Over 5.5 assists
Payton Pritchard Over 1.5 made threes
Aaron Nesmith Over 11.5 points
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been the headline acts for the Boston Celtics so far in this series, but you don’t have to look far below the surface to see the impact of Derrick White and Jrue Holiday as offensive connectors and defensive stoppers.
I’m taking the Over on the White assists prop to tip off my SGP. Some of Boston’s best looks come when he’s involved, either as the ball-handler or screener, and the visitors are going to need to dial up those types of plays to win on the road — regardless of whether Haliburton features for the Indiana Pacers.
White racked up nine assists against Indiana in Game 1 and followed that up with six dimes on Thursday night, attacking off the dribble and helping the Celtics blow past the 120-point mark in both contests.
I like Payton Pritchard tonight too. Boston’s smooth path through the playoffs, even without the injured Kristaps Porzingis, is partly a credit to its bench depth, and Pritchard has stepped up with two or more 3-pointers in four straight games.
That feels like a repeatable formula for the Celtics tonight, with Pritchard likely to see his usual 20-minute stint with the second unit.
As the Pacers send extra defenders to contain Tatum and Brown, Boston will inevitably have open shooters — and I expect Pritchard to be one of them. He shot 39% from deep in the regular season, and he’s jacked that up to 48% through 12 games in these playoffs.
Switching to the Indiana camp, Aaron Nesmith served up an underwhelming offensive effort on Thursday, but I’m counting on the former Celtic to be closer to his Game 1 performance as the series heads to Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
He went 6-for-12 in the series opener and finished with 14 points, despite missing four of his five triples. It’s going to be all hands on deck for the hosts tonight, and I’m picking Nesmith to find his stroke from downtown on the way to an impactful outing.
If he stays out of foul trouble, he should get enough touches to cash the Over on his points prop.
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