The Knicks and Pacers will go head-to-head in the Eastern Conference Finals and Game 1 of this series will be in New York on Wednesday. On DraftKings Sportsbook, the Knicks are a 4.5-point favorite for Game 1 and this contest carries a total of 222.5 points.
Below, I break down Game 1 between the Knicks and the Thunder and give a pick for the game via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Knicks vs. Pacers preview, prediction
The Knicks and Pacers begin another chapter of their rivalry Wednesday. Both of these clubs find themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals after eliminating 60-win teams in the second round. The Knicks eliminated the defending champion Celtics in six games, while the Pacers eliminated the top seeded Cavaliers in five games. Neither the Knicks or Pacers have any notable injuries heading into this series, but Indiana does have more rest in their favor. The Pacers haven’t played since last Tuesday, while the Knicks haven’t played since this past Friday.
New York and Indiana faced each other three times in the regular season and the Knicks won the season series 2-1. Notably, both of New York’s wins came by double-digits and Indiana’s one win was also by double-digits. Outside of OG Anunoby missing one of these games, the Knicks’ starting five was intact when facing the Pacers in the regular season. Indiana on the other hand dealt with more injuries, as Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith missed one game collectively and Myles Turner also missed one game.
With both teams at full strength now, we should see a classic battle between these rivals. The Knicks and Pacers are two different clubs, as Indiana prefers to play fast, while New York likes to slow it down. This season, the Pacers rank sixth in pace, compared to the Knicks, who rank 24th. We just saw New York defeat another slow team in the Celtics, but the Pacers’ up-tempo style could cause problems for this New York team and catch them off guard in Game 1.
This well balanced Pacers team has been truly elite on offense this postseason, ranking second in offensive rating and third assists, while shooting a league-best 50% from the field. Conversely, the Knicks’ offense has struggled at times during these playoffs, ranking ninth in offensive rating and 11th in field goal percentage (44.4%). Defensively, these two teams have been comparable , with the New York and Indiana ranking fifth and eighth in defensive rating, respectively. Overall, the Pacers rank fourth in net rating, while the Knicks rank seventh this postseason.
For the Knicks to take Game 1 on their home floor, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns both need to have great performances as scorers to keep up with the Pacers’ elite, fast offense. Towns lead the Knicks with 30.3 PPG against Indiana in the regular season, but Brunson struggled by his standards with 22.3 PPG. If the Pacers can continue to bother Brunson in Game 1, which is possible for Indiana’s strong perimeter defense, they will be in a great position to pull off the upset.
More importantly, the Pacers need their offense to keep firing on all cylinders and they need Tyrese Haliburton to shine. The Knicks have a great collection of wing defenders to throw at Haliburton and New York shockingly held Haliburton to zero points and five assists when these two clubs met for the first time this season back in October. However, when these two teams met again less than a month later, Haliburton torched the Knicks for 35 points and 14 assists in an 11-point win for the Pacers. Haliburton is the X-factor in this matchup and if he can continue his impressive play from the first two rounds in Game 1, the Knicks will be in for a challenging test to begin this series.
Knicks vs. Pacers pick, best bet
While the Knicks are riding high right now after sending the Celtics home this past Friday, the Pacers have had over a week off and should be ready to shock the New York faithful in Madison Square Garden with a Game 1 upset. Indiana is truly playing their best basketball of the season right now and they own a 5-1 record when they have had four or more days of rest in their favor this season.
The Pacers have also been an outstanding team on the road this postseason, with a 4-1 record, while the Knicks have struggled to take advantage of playing in Madison Square Garden, with a mediocre 3-3 record on their home floor. New York is a much better team when coming off a loss than a win, and backing the Pacers on the moneyline at an appealing +150 price is a smart move. If attacking Indiana on the moneyline is too bold of a call for you, the Pacers at +4.5 is a safe wager. As an away underdog this season, Indiana 16-10 ATS, which is the fourth-best record in the NBA. Furthermore, when coming off a win this season, the Knicks are a subpar 27-30-1 ATS.
