The Indiana Pacers were racing up the playoff hill and saw the sun glistening off the bridge that would take them to the NBA Finals. Up 20 points in Game 3, the metaphorical car skidded to a halt once a Knicks sympathizer laid out some nails, catching the right front tire. Their pristine view of the bridge was replaced by an orange and blue van quickly approaching with a tornado of dust in its wake.
New York gutted out a 106-100 win in Game 3, but Tyrese Haliburton was able to restore order with a magnificent 30-point triple-double with no turnovers in Game 4 to bring Indiana within one game of the next round.
Game 5 is in NYC. The MSG crowd will likely be raucous and ferocious. New York was 27-14 at MSG during the regular season but have lost five games in the playoffs at home, with two coming at the expense of Indiana in the first two games of this series.
Both Karl-Anthony Towns and Aaron Nesmith are questionable.
DraftKings Sportsbook has NYK as 4.5-point favorites over IND at home with the total at 222.5. This line was -5 in favor of New York prior to Towns being designated as questionable.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $500K Shootaround [$100K to 1st] (IND at NYK)
Captain’s Picks
Tyrese Haliburton ($17,100 CP): My initial thought was to fade Haliburton and the Pacers. New York will be playing in front of a raucous MSG crowd with their backs against the wall. It makes sense to take the Knicks at home and expect a Game 6. But then I looked out the window, contemplated things, figured out the meaning of life and came to my senses. Granted, those senses may be stinky and not always correct, but they have done me well over the years.
Haliburton has been the most consistent fantasy performer in this series, exhibiting the best floor/ceiling combo. Now, I’m not expecting a replication of the 84.5 FPTS triple-double like in Game 4, but somewhere in the 50 FPTS range seems viable. Indiana has lost only once in each of the two prior playoff series, and I think they make it three series with only one loss on Thursday. New York has issues on defense already, but Indiana has one of the best offenses in the league because it’s often not static and unpredictable, rarely deploying any set plays. It’s more jazz riffing. Indiana has also been one of the best teams at adjusting. I haven’t backed the same player in the CPT slot all playoffs, but going with Hali seems like the best path to take.
UTIL Plays
Jalen Brunson ($11,000): I shy away from Brunson at times because he usually doesn’t contribute much outside of points and some dimes. You will rarely get defensive stats, but those other points are usually so bountiful that he racks up the fantasy goodies regardless. Indiana has given him some difficulties by placing the bigger, stronger Aaron Nesmith on him, but Brunson was still able to bully him down low. Then they started doubling him in Game 4. I think Brunson is going to score a ton of points in front of the home crowd, but with the doubling, I think he adjusts and finds the open guy, which could lead to double-digit dimes. Brunson ain’t going down without a fight.
Josh Hart ($7,600): Hart was replaced in the starting lineup by Robinson, but he’s still played 36 and 34 minutes off the bench in the last two contests. He’s grabbed 11 and 10 rebounds and I expect him to be a roving banshee on the boards in Game 5. There are some things that could make a ceiling game possible. For starters, Towns is questionable, so if he doesn’t go or is limited, that likely means Hart gets more playing time. In addition, if the Pacers do continue doubling Brunson, Hart could be the one left open. That could provide more opportunities to score or rack up dimes if the defense does rotate to him. Hart has 11 triple-doubles on the season, with one in the playoffs against Boston. It wouldn’t surprise me if he gets his 12th.
T. J. McConnell ($4,400): I hate clicking on McConnell because he will rarely play 20 minutes. With that said, he’s so effective and efficient when he’s on the court that it’s tough to deny his impact. In this series, he’s played 14, 14, 15 and 19 minutes but produced 17.5, 18, 19.25 and 11.5 FPTS. Despite playing limited minutes, he’s a vital part of the team as he allows the Pacers to continue living up to their namesake. In addition, the drop coverage often employed by New York allows plenty of room to drain his little middies.
Fades
Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,400): With Towns hobbled with a knee injury, it’s highly likely he won’t be 100% on Thursday. More importantly, though, the Pacers have made adjustments to defending him. Shoutout to Caitlin Cooper for the analysis:
THE OUTCOME
I’m expecting a hotly contested barn burner in Game 5. Both teams pushing the pace and finding the open shooters. In the end, though, Linkin Park will be reverberating in the head of all the Knicks fans: “I tried so hard and got so far, but in the end, it doesn’t even matter.”
Final Score: Pacers 118, Knicks 114
