Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals sees the Indiana Pacers travelling to Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks. The Pacers hold a 3-1 series lead and have the chance to close out the series with a win, while the Knicks are fighting to stay alive on home court. Here is a preview of the Game 5 matchup on Friday morning.<\/p>\n
The Pacers are riding high after a solid Game 4 victory at home, where they took down the New York Knicks 130-121 in what was a high-energy, back-and-forth battle at the Indiana Pacers\u2019 home court in Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
The biggest highlight of the night was undoubtedly Tyrese Haliburton, who put on an absolute clinic with a triple-double performance: 32 points, 16 assists, and 12 rebounds. Haliburton\u2019s ability to score, distribute, and rebound shows just how much of a complete player he is, and he\u2019s been the Pacers\u2019 engine throughout the series. His quick decision-making, ball-handling, and improved 3-point shooting (hitting 40% from deep this series) have made him the toughest player for the Knicks to contain.<\/p>\n
Alongside him, Pascal Siakam also stepped up big time with 30 points and a solid shooting night, knocking down over half his shots and giving the Pacers another reliable scoring option. Beyond just the stars, the Pacers have been playing a very balanced and disciplined team game. They\u2019ve dominated the glass throughout this series, averaging 48 rebounds a game, which has been crucial in controlling second-chance points and limiting the Knicks\u2019 ability to push the pace and get easy transition opportunities.<\/p>\n
Defensively, Indiana has been impressive, holding New York to under 43% shooting and forcing around 15 turnovers each game. This pressure has disrupted the Knicks\u2019 rhythm and made it tough for them to find consistent scoring runs.<\/p>\n
Myles Turner has been a major factor on the defensive end. His rim protection is a huge part of Indiana\u2019s game plan, and with an average of 3.5 blocks per game in these playoffs, he\u2019s been the Pacers\u2019 defensive anchor, discouraging the Knicks from attacking the basket freely. Turner\u2019s presence inside has helped keep New York\u2019s scoring in check and has given the Pacers an edge on the defensive boards.<\/p>\n
Looking at the bigger picture, Indiana is in great form recently. They\u2019ve covered the spread in 5 of their last 6 games and have also won outright in 5 of those matchups. Their historical numbers against the Knicks are solid too, going 6-3 ATS and 8-4 SU in their last 12 meetings, showing they know how to handle New York\u2019s style. Even when on the road, which can be tough, the Pacers have been reliable, undefeated ATS in their last 6 away games.<\/p>\n
All signs point to Indiana maintaining their strong momentum heading into this next game. If they continue to ride Haliburton\u2019s creativity and scoring, combined with solid defence and rebounding, they should be in a great position to keep the pressure on the Knicks and control this series.<\/p>\n
The Knicks are coming off a tough Game 4 loss in Indianapolis, where they fell 130-121 to the Pacers. Jalen Brunson put up solid numbers with 31 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds on about 47% shooting, while Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in 24 points and 12 boards, shooting over 53%. Brunson\u2019s been the Knicks\u2019 main scorer in the series, averaging over 33 points per game, but turnovers and some shaky late-game moments have hurt them. Towns has been steady, giving them scoring and rebounding inside, but overall the Knicks have struggled with consistency, especially on offence.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re shooting around 42% from the field in the series and averaging just 18 assists per game, showing they\u2019ve had trouble moving the ball and breaking down the Pacers\u2019 defence. Julius Randle\u2019s been a solid force inside too, averaging a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, using his physicality to grab offensive boards and create extra chances.<\/p>\n
But overall, New York\u2019s recent form isn\u2019t great\u2014they\u2019re just 2-4 against the spread and straight up in their last six games, and even at home, they\u2019ve only covered the spread twice in their last seven. They\u2019ll need to clean up the turnovers and find better offensive rhythm if they want to keep this series alive.<\/p>\n
Stadium Record<\/strong><\/p>\n New York are just 3-5 at home in this year’s playoffs. Indiana are 3-1 in their last 4 and won the first 2 games of this series at MSG.<\/p>\n Head to Head Record<\/strong><\/p>\n The Pacers lead this series 3-1 and hold a 6-4 record in the last 10 matchups.<\/p>\n Best Bet<\/strong><\/p>\n I hope this series goes longer, but I just don’t see it happening. The Pacers already won both games in this series on the road and will be fired up to end the series early. Indiana are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 and a perfect 6-0 ATS on the road. Take them to cover and to win in the head to head for some extra value. The trouble for the Knicks is that their defence is struggling and their home record in the playoffs isn’t great, just 3-5.<\/p>\n