The Pacers beat the Knicks 114-109 in Game 2 on Friday to take a commanding 2-0 series lead heading back home. No team in NBA history has ever come back from being down 2-0 in the Conference Finals after losing the first two games at home, so the Knicks have quite the task in front of them. Indy won Game 2 despite Tyrese Haliburton scoring just 14 points on 5-of-16 shooting.
Pascal Siakim stepped up with a playoff career-high of 39 points, but the Pacers will need their superstar point guard to play better if they want to go up 3-0. Below I highlight my favorite Haliburton prop bet for Game 3.
Tyrese Haliburton over 20.5 Points (-115)
Haliburton has gone over this number in only five of 12 games so far this postseason, and only twice at home. However, if you followed him throughout the regular season, you know he had some of the biggest home/road splits of any player in the NBA.
Haliburton averaged 20.4 points on 50% shooting in the friendly confines of Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season. A stark contrast to the 16.7 points on 43.8% shooting on the road. The three-point percentage difference was also massive, as he shot 41.5% at home compared to 34.9% on the road. There is no actual explanation for this, but maybe Haliburton just feels more comfortable when he’s sleeping in his own bed.
Haliburton was the hero in Game 1 after hitting the game-tying shot to send the game to overtime, so it’s not abnormal that he was on a bit of a letdown in Game 2. However, he should bounce back in a big way in Game 3. There should also be no fear of a blowout or limited minutes for him either, as Indiana is currently a negligible two-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook in this game.
Superstars usually do not get into prolonged slumps, especially in the playoffs, and with this being the most important Pacers game in arguably 25 years, I fully expect Haliburton to bring his A-game in this one. Give me the over here.