Will the Underdog Pacers Shock the Knicks? Expert Picks and Unexpected Trends Revealed for Game 1!
Basketball lovers, mark your calendars: Wednesday, May 21, Madison Square Garden will crackle with electric energy as the Indiana Pacers (50-32) descend on New York to tip off Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Knicks (51-31). This isn’t just another postseason matchup—it’s a collision of momentum and will, pitting a rested Pacers squad against a Knicks team riding high off a merciless dismantling of the Celtics in Game 6, 119-81. Josh Hart’s triple-double and the scoring barrage from Brunson, Towns, Bridges, and Anunoby showcased a Knicks unit locked in and ready to pounce. On the flip side, the Pacers are no slouches, boasting a fresh edge after dispatching Cleveland in Game 5, with Tyrese Haliburton lighting up the floor. The stage is set, with road toughness and home-court firepower both in the mix, and every stat, trend, and player matchup is shaping what could be a classic series opener. I’m itching to break down the storylines, odds, and best bets as this showdown unfolds.
Listen to the Rotoworld Basketball Show for the latest fantasy player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.The Knicks routed the Celtics in Game 6 in New York, 119-81, behind Josh Hart‘s triple-double and four Knicks’ starters, Jalen Brunson (23), Karl-Anthony Towns (21), Mikal Bridges (22), and OG Anunoby (23) scoring 21-plus points. The five Knicks’ starters combined for 99 of New York’s 119 points and outscored Boston as a team, 99-81.The latest odds as of Wednesday:
– Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
– Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
– Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
– Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)The Pacers went 20-20 on the road in the regular season with a point differential of 2, while the Knicks have a 6-4 record in their last ten games at home. We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Game details & how to watch Pacers vs. Knicks live
- Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- Time: 8:00 PM EST
- Site: Madison Square Garden
- City: New York, NY
- Network/Streaming: TNT / Max
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Game odds for Pacers vs. Knicks
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
- Odds: Pacers (+145), Knicks (-175)
- Spread: Knicks -4
- Over/Under: 223.0
“The Pacers have the rest advantage over the Knicks with a week off, but momentum will be in the Knicks’ favor, plus atmosphere. Madison Square Garden will be rocking again and I expect Jalen Brunson to be aggressive in this series. Brunson led the Knicks in scoring in both Game 1’s with 29 and 34 points and 50 combined field goal attempts (23 and 27), in addition to 17 free-throw attempts.Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
Expert picks & predictions for Wednesday’s Pacers vs. Knicks game
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes Jalen Brunson Over 28.5 Points in Game 1 and the Knicks to win the series in 6:
Indiana beat Cleveland in Game 5, 114-105, on Tuesday, May 13, so they have the rest advantage entering this matchup. However, having a week off isn’t always the best formula in the playoffs as rust could set in, but given the Knicks’ rotation and heavy minutes to the starters, the rest should prove helpful for Indiana. Tyrese Haliburton had 31 points in the Game 5 win over Cleveland and 26 points over the Bucks in Game 5’s closeout victory. On Wednesday, May 21, the Indiana Pacers (50-32) and New York Knicks (51-31) are all set to square off from Madison Square Garden in New York for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NBA Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.Want even more NBA best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert NBA Predictions page from NBC Sports for money line, spread and over/under picks for every game on today’s calendar!Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NBA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s Pacers & Knicks game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Indiana Pacers at +4
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 223.0
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day NBA schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game.
Important stats, trends & insights to know ahead of Pacers vs. Knicks on Wednesday
- The Knicks are 2-0 ATS and on the ML in Game 1 during the postseason
- The Pacers are 2-0 ATS and on the ML in Game 1 during the postseason
- New York is 3-3 at home during the playoffs and won the past two
- Indiana is 4-1 on the road during the playoffs with four straight wins
- Jalen Brunson led the Knicks in scoring both Game 1’s with 29 and 34 points
- Pascal Siakam has led the Pacers in scoring four of 10 playoff games, including Game 1 of the first round
That gives the Pacers an implied team point total of 109.5, and the Knicks 113.5.Brunson went Under his points prop in two straight games now (Games 5 and 6 versus Boston), so I am going to buy low on Brunson in a new series. Brunson scored 26 and 33 points in two of three meetings during the regular season versus Indiana. I like the chances he goes for 29-plus points up to 30.5.For the series, I like the Knicks in 6 (+600) or the series to go 7 games (+220) as a hedge. The favorites in each of these markets are the Knicks to win in 7 games (+400) followed by the Pacers to win in 6 games (+450). The series to go 6 or 7 games are both tied at +220 odds. This could be one of the most memorable or forgettable Eastern Conference finals in recent history, so I will go with my gut and take the 6-to-1 value on the Knicks to win 4-2 and sprinkle the +220 odds on the series to go 7 games as a hedge.”
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