Facing elimination, the Knicks delivered a dominant 111-94 win on Thursday. Now, the Eastern Conference Finals heads to Indiana, where the Pacers will attempt to end this series at home. New York has plans of its own, hoping to force a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Which of these two rivals will come out on top tonight?
Entering Saturday’s contest, the Pacers are four-point favorites (-110), with the over/under set at 221.5 total points (-110). Ahead of Game 6, here are the three best player props available on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Karl-Anthony Towns over 22.5 points (-120)
Karl-Anthony Towns is an absolute nightmare matchup for the Pacers on defense. The big man has dominated this series through physical play down low and pinpoint accuracy from beyond the arc (42.3 3PT%). Through five games, KAT is averaging 25.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists while shooting 51.8% from the field. Other than getting him to foul out, Indiana has had no answers for the five-time All-Star.
Towns’ recent success doesn’t come as a surprise. Over his last ten meetings with the Pacers, the center has recorded 28.1 points and 11.8 assists while shooting 55.8%. In eight of those outings, he’s scored at least 23 points. Even when Indiana has attempted to double-team KAT, his combination of post moves and quick passing has kept New York’s offense churning. At this point, there’s no reason not to ride the hot hand on Saturday.
Tyrese Haliburton over 20.5 points (-120)
What a strange roller-coaster ride this series has been for Tyrese Haliburton. The guard started Game 1 on the highest of highs, hitting an epic game-tying shot at the buzzer. He also put together a masterful triple-double in Game 4, dropping 32 points, 12 rebounds and 15 assists. However, Indiana’s face of the franchise has also been absent from several contests. In Game 5, he scored eight points on two-of-seven shooting from the field.
Clearly, Haliburton isn’t the most consistent player on Earth. With that being said, he’s still a dangerous player with the ball in his hands. New York seems to have found some success down low on defense, holding Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner to a combined 20 points on Thursday. If that continues tonight, Hali will have no choice but to look for his own shot. There isn’t a ton of data that supports a big scoring game from the All-Star. Regardless, it’s difficult to imagine a second straight letdown performance, especially at home. A more aggressive effort on offense should be expected from Haliburton tonight.
Myles Turner under 20.5 points + rebounds + assists (-125)
The Eastern Conference Finals have not been kind to Myles Turner. Coming into this series, it was always going to be a challenge for Indiana’s center. The 29-year-old has never been great on the glass, not ideal when attempting to guard a seven-footer such as Towns. However, New York’s recent switch to put Mitchell Robinson in its starting lineup has made things even more difficult. Now going against two giants, Turner has averaged only 12.3 points and 3.0 rebounds since Game 3.
A return back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse could be just what Turner needs to get back on track. Unfortunately for the veteran, there’s not much evidence to suggest that will happen tonight. In five of the center’s last eight appearances this postseason, he’s failed to reach 21 points + rebounds + assists. There’s also an eye factor portion of this equation; Turner has looked ‘off’ for most of the playoffs. It seems unlikely that he’ll find his groove tonight against a defensive menace such as Robinson.
