Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks Game 1 Predictions, Odds, Player Props & Injuries (May 6)

Feb 10, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) looks to pass the ball as Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin (1) and Indiana Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson (22) defend during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

• The #6 Indiana Pacers and #2 New York Knicks start their best-of-seven second-round series on Monday night
• The Pacers took two of three from the Knicks in the regular seasons
• See the Game 1 Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks predictions, odds, player props and injury reports on May 6

Two teams coming off impressive first-round victories tangle in round two when the #6 Indiana Pacers (51-37, 22-22 away, 47-38-3 ATS) square off with the #2 New York Knicks (54-34, 25-19 home, 48-37-3 ATS) in a best-of-seven series for a berth in the Eastern Conference finals.

Game 1 of the series tips off at 7:40 pm ET tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York and the Knicks have been listed as six-point favorites in the series opener. The winner of Pacers/Knicks will face the winner of the Cavaliers vs Celtics in the NBA playoff bracket.

Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks Predictions

Indiana caught a huge break in the first round against #3 Milwaukee. Two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play a minute in the series, and Damian Lillard missed half of the six-game affair. But the Pacers were full value for the series victory. Three of Indiana’s four wins came by at least 13 points and they finished the series with a 119.4 Offensive Rating, second-highest in the postseason to date. Rebounding was an issue for the Pacers throughout the regular season, when they finished 24th in rebound percentage (49.2%) but they won the battle on the boards convincingly against the Bucks, grabbing 51.5% of all rebounds.

The Knicks won a hard-fought six-game series against Philadelphia, despite entering the series as slight underdogs. Jalen Brunson was all-world, averaging a playoff-best 35.5 PPG along with 9.0 APG and 4.5 RPG. But the Knicks actually finished the first round with a negative Net Rating (-0.2). Their four wins against the Sixers came an average of 4.5 points and their biggest margin of victory was just seven points. The Knicks, who were the best rebounding team in the NBA in the regular season, continued to dominate the glass against Philly, coming away with 51.9% of all rebounds.

The Knicks aren’t really built to blow teams out. They play at the slowest pace in the league and don’t shoot particularly well (16th in EFG% in the regular season and 11th out of 16 teams in the playoffs). Their only victory against Indiana this season was a 109-105 win at MSG on Feb. 1, and they were routed by the Pacers in their two other meetings this year: 140-126 in Indiana on Dec. 30 and 125-111 at MSG on Feb. 10.

Oddsmakers are continuing to underestimate Indiana. The young Pacers have the talent to beat any team on any court on any night, and they are playing up to their potential more and more.

Pacers vs Knicks Game 1 prediction: Pacers +6 (-110)

Pacers vs Knicks Game 1 Odds

Odds as of May 6 at DraftKings. See the full list of DraftKings legal states. 

DraftKings is actually the only sportsbook that has this line at Knicks -6. FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, and ESPN Bet all have the spread at 5.5 in Monday’s NBA odds. But ironically the best moneyline price on the Pacers is at FanDuel, where bettors can get the Pacers to win straight-up at +194. DraftKings has the best price on the Knicks, though, at -230.

The game total ranges from a low of 216.5 (BetMGM) to a high of 217.5 (DK, FanDuel, ESPN).

At -230, the Knicks have a (minimum) implied win probability of 69.7%. The Pacers, whose shortest odds are +180, have a maximum implied win probability of just 35.71%.

Pacers vs Knicks Injury Reports

New York suffered a significant blow in the first round, losing Bojan Bogdanovic (15.2 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 1.7 APG) to season-ending foot surgery. New York’s injury report still lists Julius Randle (24.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG), who hasn’t played since Jan. 27 and was officially declared out for the season ahead of the playoffs.

The Pacers’ injury report once again lists All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton (20.1 PPG, 10.9 APG) as questionable due to back spasms. Haliburton played in all six games against the Bucks, but wasn’t nearly as prolific as he was in the regular season, averaging just 16.0 PPG and 9.3 APG in 36.5 minutes per night.

IND vs NYK Game 1 Player Props

NBA player props from DraftKings on May 6.

The player props for Game 1 pick up on some themes from the first round. Brunson is listed with a sky-high total of 35.5, a total he exceeded in the last four games against the 76ers (39, 47, 40, 41). Josh Hart leads the rebound total as 12.5 O/U. Hart averaged 12.3 RPG in six slow-tempo, low possession games against the Sixers and is expected to have a field day against a small Indiana lineup that likes to run.

IND vs NYK player prop picks:

• Hart under 12.5 rebounds (-108)
•  Haliburton under 9.5 assists (-112)

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