2024 NBA playoffs - Bets, lines and stats for Pacers-Celtics Game 2 - ESPN

The Eastern Conference finals between the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers continue Thursday night. Game 1 was exhilarating as Indiana had victory within its grasp before letting it slip away in overtime because of numerous miscues.

It will be interesting to see how the Celtics perform in Game 2. Boston has won Game 1 in each of its past two playoff series this year but failed to win Game 2 at home.

Let's dive into some best bets for Game 2 (ESPN, 8 p.m. ET).

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET

Best bet: Boston Celtics over 116.5 points.

The Celtics haven't had any issues scoring, leading the NBA in points scored per 100 possessions during the regular season and ranking second in the playoffs. Boston has cleared this line in 65% of its games this season, including five of their past six games against the Pacers. The Celtics scored 117 points in regulation on Tuesday and there's room for improvement in Game 2, especially if Boston can have better shot selection and take better care of the basketball.

Best bet: Jrue Holiday over 4.5 assists.

Holiday was absolutely phenomenal in Game 1, scoring 28 points and adding seven rebounds and eight assists. Holiday has played well against the Pacers all season, but I see him shining as a facilitator in Game 2 and this line seems way too low to pass up. While the Pacers stepped up defensively in the playoffs, they finished the regular season ranked 24th in points allowed per 100 possessions. Despite its efforts, Indiana is still allowing a ton of points during the postseason. Meanwhile, Holiday has eclipsed this line in six of his past 10 games and I expect him to keep racking up the assists to set up Jayson Tatum and