Pacers vs. Celtics Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Monday, Dec. 22

The Celtics are favored at home on Monday night.

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown is a solid prop target on Monday. / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The Boston Celtics continue to impress, knocking off the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night (the second night of a back-to-back) without star Jaylen Brown. 

Brown is questionable for Monday’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers, and Boston is favored at home. Both of these teams are down star players to Achilles injuries (Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton), but Boston remains in the top half of the Eastern Conference playoff standings.

Meanwhile, the Pacers have lost four games in a row and are just 6-22 in the 2025-26 season. They’re bound for a lottery pick, as injuries have completely derailed this season.

In addition to Haliburton, the Pacers are down Aaron Nesmith, Ben Sheppard and Obi Toppin on Monday night.

Let’s take a look at the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for this Eastern Conference clash.   

Pacers vs. Celtics Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

• Pacers +10.5 (-118)
• Celtics -10.5 (-102)

Moneyline

• Pacers: +360
• Celtics: -470

Total

• 225.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Pacers vs. Celtics How to Watch

• Date: Monday, Dec. 22
• Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
• Venue: TD Garden
• How to Watch (TV): FanDuel Sports Network (Local), NBC Sports Boston 
• Pacers record: 6-22
• Celtics record: 17-11

Pacers vs. Celtics Injury Reports

Pacers Injury Report

• Johnny Furphy – questionable
• Tyrese Haliburton – out
• Ben Sheppard – out
• Obi Toppin – out
• Aaron Nesmith – out
• Kam Jones – questionable
• T.J. McConnell – questionable
• Taelon Peter – probable

Celtics Injury Report

• Jaylen Brown – questionable
• Ron Harper Jr. – out
• Jayson Tatum – out
• Amari Williams – out
• Max Shulga – out
• Jordan Walsh – questionable

Pacers vs. Celtics Best NBA Prop Bets

Celtics Best NBA Prop Bet

• Jaylen Brown OVER 29.5 Points (-105)

In today’s best NBA props for SI Betting, I shared why Brown is worth a look – if he plays – against Indiana: 

As long as Brown (illness, questionable) is able to play on Monday, I expect him to handle his usual role in this Boston offense.

So far in the month of December, Brown has scored 30 or more points in all six of his appearances, averaging 32.7 points per game while shooting 53.6 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from 3.

The star forward is on a heater right now, and Boston is relying on him to take a career-high 21.4 shots per game. Not only that, but Brown is also taking a career-high 7.6 free throws per night.

That puts him in a great place to clear this prop against an Indiana team that is 19th in the league in defensive rating and without its top wing defender in Aaron Nesmith. Brown has 30 or more points in 16 of his 26 games this season, so he's certainly capable of clearing this prop at a high rate.

Pacers vs. Celtics Prediction and Pick

If Brown is able to go on Monday, I love Boston to win and cover at home. 

The Pacers are dead last in the NBA in offensive rating this season while Boston is third, and Indiana’s road struggles have been a major issue.

Indy has the worst net rating in the NBA on the road, and it’s gone just 5-8 against the spread in 13 games, posting an average scoring margin of -13.8 in those matchups. To make matters worse, the Pacers are down Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin and Ben Sheppard in this game and T.J. McConnell is questionable.

The C’s have won seven of their last 10 games and are an impressive 8-6 against the spread at home. I’m buying them to win this matchup by a wide margin before a long layoff around Christmas. 

Pick: Celtics -10.5 (-102 at DraftKings)

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.

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