NBA Eastern Conference Finals: Pacers vs Celtics Game 1

Top-Seeded Celtics Host Pacers in Game 1

Pacers Back in Eastern Conference Finals for First Time in Decade

The top-seeded Boston Celtics will host the sixth-seeded Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday at TD Garden.

The Pacers are back in the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2013. They upset the No. 3-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the second round to advance to the conference finals.

The Celtics, meanwhile, have been one of the best teams in the league all season. They finished the regular season with a 51-31 record and won their first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets in four games. In the second round, they defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in seven games.

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals is expected to be a close contest. The Celtics have the home-court advantage, but the Pacers have been playing well lately. They have won four of their last five games, including a Game 7 victory over the 76ers.

The winner of Game 1 will take a 1-0 lead in the series. The Celtics will host Game 2 on Thursday before the series shifts to Indiana for Games 3 and 4.

Pacers Odds for Game 1

The Celtics are favored to win Game 1 by 7.5 points, according to BetMGM. The over/under for the game is 213.5 points.

WEB BOSTON -- Tyrese Haliburton Scored 33 Points

Tyrese Haliburton scored 33 points and the Indiana Pacers opened a 30-point lead in the first half before holding on for a 102-99 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night.

The Pacers led by 20 points at halftime and stretched the lead to 30 in the third quarter. The Celtics rallied in the fourth quarter, but they couldn't complete the comeback.

Haliburton was 11-of-19 shooting from the field and 5-of-9 from 3-point range. He also had eight rebounds and seven assists.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 29 points. Jaylen Brown added 19 points and Marcus Smart scored 17 points.

The Celtics will host Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night.