On Thursday, the East finals begin with a rematch of last season’s conference semifinals, when the Pacers won Game 7. Hopefully we get another epic 7 game series. The Knicks are going to be confident after dropping the defending champions in 6 games. But the Pacers were equally impressive in their thrasing of the #1 seeded Cavs in the 4-1 series result. Here’s a look at Game 1.<\/p>\n
The Pacers head into Game 1 of the East Finals full of confidence after upsetting Cleveland on the road, proving they can hang with the top seeds. Indiana\u2019s recent form is red-hot \u2014 they\u2019ve covered the spread in 4 of their last 5 games and have gone 6-1 both straight up and ATS in their last 7 overall.<\/p>\n
They’ve also been strong away from home, going 6-1 ATS on the road, though New York has been a tough place for them historically (just 1-4 in their last 5 at MSG). In their latest outing, Tyrese Haliburton dropped 31 points on 66.7% shooting with 8 assists and 6 boards, while Pascal Siakam added 21 points and 8 rebounds.<\/p>\n
Siakam\u2019s been solid against the Knicks lately, averaging 24 and 5, and don\u2019t forget Bennedict Mathurin\u2019s massive 38-point performance in a win over New York earlier this season. The total\u2019s also gone over in 5 of Indiana\u2019s last 7, so expect some serious offence in this one.<\/p>\n
The Knicks head into Game 1 after cruising past a short-handed Celtics squad with a dominant 119\u201381 win at MSG. Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby both dropped 23 points in that one, with Brunson shooting a sharp 57.1% from the field.<\/p>\n
New York\u2019s been in solid form, going 5-2 both straight up and against the spread in their last seven games. At home, they\u2019ve been even stronger against Indiana \u2014 winning 4 of the last 5 matchups at the Garden. While last year\u2019s playoff series went seven games with the Pacers coming out on top, the Knicks were banged up, missing key pieces like a limited Anunoby and an injured Brunson in Game 7.<\/p>\n
This season, Brunson\u2019s averaged 26 points, 5 boards, and 5 dimes against Indiana, and Karl-Anthony Towns lit them up for 40 and 12 back in February. The total has gone over in 4 of New York\u2019s last 5 vs the Pacers, though interestingly, it\u2019s trended under in 4 of their last 5 home games \u2014 something to watch depending on how this one unfolds at MSG.<\/p>\n
Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n New York are 3-3 at MSG in the NBA playoffs this year. Indiana has lost 4 of their last 5.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n In the regular season, the Knicks won 2 of 3 meetings. But in the last 10 meetings, the head to head is tied 5-5.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n Both sides should be confident after dominant series victories so Game 1 should be a close one, making the line and head to head a tough prediction. So I prefer the points, especially the Over. Indiana love a fast paced game and the Knicks are scoring plenty of points too. The Over has a nice 4-1 record in this matchup and I think it salutes in Game 1 as well.<\/p>\n