[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers meet Friday for Game 6 of their best-of-7 Eastern Conference, 2nd-round series. The Knicks lead the series 3-2. Tip-off from Gainbridge Fieldhouse is set for 8:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Knicks vs. Pacers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
The Knicks throttled the Pacers 121-91 in Game 5, pushing Indiana to the brink of elimination. The past 2 games have been a series of lopsided games, as Indiana won Game 4 by a 121-89 count. The winning team has scored 121 or more points in 4 of the 5 games in the series.
Jalen Brunson was excellent at Madison Square Garden in Game 5, racking up 44 points on 18-of-35 shooting, while posting 7 assists and 4 rebounds. Miles McBride also came up big with 17 points, including 3 triples, while Josh Hart ws good for 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Isaiah Hartenstein surprised with 17 rebounds, too, so it was truly a team effort, making up for the absence of OG Anunoby (strained left hamstring). Alec Burks came alive with 18 points off the bench, including 5 3-pointers in just 23 minutes.
The Pacers hit just 43.1% (31 of 72) from the field, with 44.4% (12 of 27) from downtown. But Indiana also turned it over 18 times, and the Knicks gobbled up 53 rebounds, with the Pacers good for only 29 boards. That was the giant difference in the game, as the Knicks had more opportunities, taking 29 more shot attempts.
Knicks at Pacers odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:54 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Knicks +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Pacers -225 (bet $225 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Knicks +5.5 (-110) | Pacers -5.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 215.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Knicks at Pacers key injuries
Knicks
- F OG Anunoby (hamstring) out
- F Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) out
- F Julius Randle (shoulder) out
- C Mitchell Robinson (ankle) out
Pacers
- G Bennedict Mathurin (shoulder) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Knicks at Pacers picks and predictions
Prediction
Knicks 108, Pacers 104
Moneyline
The KNICKS (+180) are a strong value in this elimination game, as New York gives you the opportunity to nearly double up.
New York had a tremendous rebounding advantage in Game 5, as it really didn’t shoot all that much better than Indiana last time out. The Knicks will need to put the sour memory of Game 4 out of their heads. Look for New York to ride the red-hot Brunson into the Eastern Conference finals, and a date with the Boston Celtics.
Against the spread
The KNICKS +5.5 (-110) are worth playing with the points, if you’re a little more on the conservative side, and you just can’t pull the trigger betting New York straight up.
The Pacers -5.5 (-110) are just 1-3 ATS in the past 4 games, with the lone exception the blowout win in Game 4. But it’s going to be hard to collective themselves after a 30-point loss, even with the home crowd on their side. Back the Knicks, who should be able to push the Pacers around for the rebounding edge again in Game 6.
Over/Under
UNDER 215.5 (-110) is the lean in Game 6, but go with a half-unit play at most.
The Under has cashed in 3 straight meetings in this series since a pair of Overs at MSG to start. As a playoff series goes along, things tend to tighten up, and while we’ve seen the winning team score 121 or more points in 4 of the 5 games so far, the losing team has scored an average of 90.0 PPG in the past 2 games.
We should see defense reign supreme in Friday’s contest, as the Pacers have their backs to the wall, and the Knicks will be careful not to do anything dumb to give them a chance.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.
Access more NBA coverage:
HoopsHype | Bulls Wire | Celtics Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Spurs Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | LeBron Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1368]