The Knicks managed to steal Game 1 on the road in Boston, making Game 2 even more intriguing. This is a breakdown of the public betting splits and the most popular player prop bets for the highly anticipated matchup.
New York is a 4.5-point favorite over Indiana at DraftKings Sportsbook, with a total of 222.5 points.
Betting Splits
The Knicks and Pacers are set to begin their highly anticipated Eastern Conference Finals series on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. These two teams faced off in the second round of the playoffs last season, with the Pacers winning in seven games after multiple Knicks went down with injuries. The Knicks will be looking for revenge this year as both teams look to make the NBA Finals for the first time in over two decades. For Game 1, the Knicks are 4.5-point home favorites. New York was 2-1 against Indiana in the regular season, but two of those games came very early on in the season, so it’s hard to put much stock into those games.
The public is very split on what they think will happen in Game 1. When it comes to the short Moneyline, 53% of the bets and the handle are on the Knicks at -180. The public is slightly leaning towards the Knicks taking the first game at home, but it is nearly an even split. The handle is exactly the same as the total bets, meaning that bigger bettors don’t have a strong lean in either direction. When it comes to the spread, the public is slightly leaning towards the Pacers at +4.5. 56% of bets and 55% of the handle are on the Pacers to cover in Game 1. That shows that the public thinks this game will be extremely close between these two great teams.
When it comes to the total, the public is taking more of a clear stance on one side. 65% of bets and 67% of the handle are to the over 222.5. Nearly two-thirds of all bets are on the game to go over the total, and bigger bettors are not fading the public and taking the under as they often do. Bigger bettors are actually taking a slight lean to the over as well, even if it is just slightly.
Most Popular Player Props
Here are the most popular player prop bets at DraftKings Sportsbook for this matchup:
- Jalen Brunson First Points Scorer (+370)
- Josh Hart 25+ Points (+1800)
- Jalen Brunson o2.5 Made Three-Pointers (-110)
- Tyrese Haliburton First Points Scorer (+950)
- T.J. McConnell o6.5 Points (+100)
The most popular player prop bet for Game 1 is for Jalen Brunson to score the first points of the game. Brunson is a superstar and will be in his home building of Madison Square Garden. The Knicks will certainly want him to get involved early and often, so there is good value on this bet. Additionally, bettors are backing Brunson to have a good night from beyond the arc. The third most popular bet on this game is for Brunson to make over 2.5 three-pointers. That is a feat that he accomplished in three of the last four games against the Celtics. The final Knick getting love from the public is Josh Hart. Some bettors are taking a huge gamble on Hart scoring 25 or more points, something he has not done yet this postseason. Hart had two games against Boston where he scored 23 and 24 points, so he has gotten close. Bettors are hoping one extra bucket in a game like that could make for a huge payout at +1800.
On the Pacers’ side, bettors are backing their star, Tyrese Haliburton, to score the first points of the game as well. His odds of scoring the first points of the game are at nearly 10/1. Bettors are also backing T.J. McConnell to score seven or more points in this game. McConnell was a needle in the Knicks’ side in last season’s playoff series. Bettors are relying on McConnell to get under the Knicks’ skin again and score over 6.5 points.
