Pacers vs. Knicks Prediction, Odds, Best NBA Prop Bets for Eastern Conference Finals Game 5

The New York Knicks’ backs are against the wall in the Eastern Conference Finals, as they are trailing the Indiana Pacers 3-1 in their best-of-seven series.

New York is attempting to become the 14th team in NBA history to come back from a 3-1 series deficit, but it won’t be easy since the Knicks already lost two games at home in this series. In fact, there are a couple of concerning trends for the Knicks entering Game 5 at Madison Square Garden:

The Pacers are 6-1 on the road this postseason
The Knicks are 3-5 at home this postseason

Meanwhile, the Pacers have been awesome this postseason, losing just three of their 14 games while posting the No. 1 effective field goal percentage in the playoffs. Tyrese Haliburton is coming off a dazzling triple-double that gave the Pacers a 130-121 win in Game 4 on Tuesday night.

In their second-round series, the Pacers won Games 1, 2, and 5 in Cleveland to take the matchup in five games. Can they follow the same blueprint against the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals?

Oddsmakers aren’t so sure, setting the Knicks as five-point favorites at home in Game 5.

Here’s a breakdown of this Eastern Conference Finals clash, including the latest odds, players to bet in the prop market, and my game prediction.

Pacers vs. Knicks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Pacers +5 (-110)
Knicks -5 (-110)

Moneyline

Pacers: +160
Knicks: -192

Total

222.5 (Over -112/Under -108)

Pacers vs. Knicks How to Watch

Date: Thursday, May 29
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Madison Square Garden
How to Watch (TV): TNT
Series: Pacers lead 3-1

Pacers vs. Knicks Injury Reports

Pacers Injury Report

Isaiah Jackson – out
Aaron Nesmith – questionable

Knicks Injury Report

Karl-Anthony Towns -- questionable

Pacers vs. Knicks Best NBA Prop Bets

Pacers Best NBA Prop Bet

Tyrese Haliburton OVER 9.5 Assists (-125)

Haliburton has torched the Knicks in this series, getting to his spots every time on offense while averaging 24.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 11.0 assists per game. Haliburton’s desire to push the pace – and willingness to get off the ball – is what makes Indiana so dangerous on offense.

In this series, Haliburton has double-digit assists in three of his four games, and he’s averaging 9.8 dimes per game in the playoffs. The Knicks have given up just over 21 assists per game in the playoffs, but that number has jumped to 25.5 per game in this series.

Haliburton is a great bet to reach double-digit dimes for the fourth time in five games on Thursday.

Knicks Best NBA Prop Bet

Jalen Brunson OVER 30.5 Points (-110)

While Jalen Brunson hasn't been as dominant in this series as he was in the first or second round of the playoffs, he is still scoring the ball at an extremely high rate.

Brunson has 31 or more points in three of his four games in this series, and he was lights out at Madison Square Garden, scoring 43 points in Game 1 and 36 in Game 2.

Can he return to that form in a must-win Game 5? I think he can, especially since he’s taking a ton of shots for the Knicks in the playoffs, averaging 22.3 shots and 8.4 free throw attempts per game.

The Pacers have not had an answer for Brunson, although Aaron Nesmith has done the best job of anyone on him in this series. With the Knicks’ season on the line, I expect a heavy workload for Brunson in Game 5.

Pacers vs. Knicks Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why the Pacers are the team to bet on in Game 5:

The Pacers have not only been a great team on the road in the playoffs, but it’s something they’ve done all season long.

Indiana is 18-10 against the spread as a road underdog – the fourth-best mark in the NBA – and it won both games as a road dog to open this series.

The Pacers have even kept their lone loss in this matchup close, losing by six points in Game 3 at home. So, the five-point spread in Game 5 seems a little lofty for a Knicks team that only has one blowout win – Game 6 of the second round against Boston – all postseason.

The Pacers are killing the Knicks’ defense, forcing them to play an uptempo style while attacking guard Jalen Brunson and big man Karl-Anthony Towns every chance they get.

In the playoffs, the Pacers are No. 1 in effective field goal percentage and No. 2 in offensive rating. The Knicks didn’t have any answers for Pascal Siakam or Tyrese Haliburton in Game 4, and I’m worried New York is out of options to guard this Indiana team on the defensive end.

Plus, Towns appeared to injure his knee in Game 4, although he stayed in for the final minutes. If he’s at less than 100 percent, it’s hard to see the Knicks extending this series for much longer.

Even if New York does pull out a win, I expect this game – like all the others in this series – to be extremely close.

Pick: Pacers +5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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