The Indiana Pacers (6-8) will have a tough task to start the week, as they travel to a building they know all too well; Madison Square Garden, for a showdown with the New York Knicks (7-6).
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Odds, Predictions, Picks and Game Preview
Start time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Madison Square Garden New York, NY
TV channels: Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports Midwest, Bally Sports South, MSG Network
Radio broadcast: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Live stream: NBA League Pass
ESPN’s Basketball Power Index: New York Knicks 60.3 percent chance to win
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks News
Both teams enter with a record of 5-5 in its last 10 games. However, the Pacers are coming in off consecutive wins over the Utah Jazz and the Philadelphia 76ers. While the Sixers were without Joel Embiid for the contest, it was still an impressive win for the Pacers nonetheless.
In a big win like that, you’d probably imagine it was someone like Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert or Malcolm Brogdon who led the way. However, it was Justin Holiday who led all Pacers in scoring with 27 points. Brogdon didn’t need to score as many that night, but still had a tremendous impact on both ends of the floor, ending the game with a triple-double. They’ll almost surely need all of that firepower at MSG Monday evening.
The Knicks are quite rested, not having played a game since Friday evening when they lost on the road to the Charlotte Hornets. Hornets guard Kemba Walker had quite the “revenge game,” leading all scorers with 26 points, but nobody else on the team was able to really get anything going. Alec Burks was the team’s second-leading scorer with 15 points, while Julius Randle scored just 10 and RJ Barrett just two. With the opportunity to rest and return home, the Knicks star players will almost surely look to get back on track.
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Betting Lines and Odds
Sportsbook: BetUS
Over/Under: 214
Point spread: -3/+3
Best moneyline: Knicks -155/ Pacers +135
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Injury Report
Pacers: SF Chris Duarte (questionable) | C Goga Bitadze (out)
Knicks: C Nerlens Noel (questionable)
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Preview
The Pacers are just 2-6 in road contests this season. However, one of those wins is against arguably the best defense in the league; the Utah Jazz. With that type of record, you’d almost want to just blindly bet the home team. That would be a good plan, but the Knicks are just 2-4 at home this season.
The Knicks are 6-7 ATS this season, while the Pacers sit two wins over the .500 mark at 8-6. New York has covered the spread just twice out of six contests at home this season while the Pacers sit 4-4 ATS as the visiting team. This might be the key number however. Indiana is 4-1 ATS this season as an away underdog and the Knicks 2-4 as a home favorite.
Will these trends continue is the question. We have a feeling many members of the Knicks are feeling embarrassed about their performances Friday evening. If they come out with a vengeance, the Knicks could get a big win here.
Some of the best matchups in this game will come in the front court, as Sabonis will likely match up with Randle and Myles Turner against defensive anchor Mitchell Robinson.
When Turner went up against Andre Drummond as the Sixers starting center, he was held to just two rebounds. He’s still averaging the most rebounds of his career at 8.1 per game and a league-leading 3.4 blocks per game. If the Pacers want to escape the Garden State with a win, they’ll need Turner to rebound closer to his average than he did against Philly.
With Duarte questionable on the wing, Barrett could look to make his presence known, especially after being held to just two points in the previous game.
As for the total, the over is 4-2 with the Knicks as the home team, but just 1-4 when the Pacers are an away underdog.
Projected Starting Lineups
Indiana Pacers: PG Malcolm Brogdon | SG Caris LeVert | SF Chris Duarte | PF Domantas Sabonis | C Myles Turner
New York Knicks: PG Kemba Walker | SG Evan Fournier | SF RJ Barrett | PF Julius Randle | C Mitchell Robinson
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Prediction
For our official prediction in this one, we’re going against the grain and taking the New York Knicks -3. This is a team that feels like they should be battling for a top-5 seed in the Eastern Conference, as they did last year. Currently riding a two-game losing streak, we believe they’ll get back on the right track and that Barrett and Randle will play closer to their averages, maybe even above to get a win in front of the MSG faithful.
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Betting Pick
New York Knicks -3.
