Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers roll into Madison Square Garden on Thursday, hoping to end the Knicks' season and advance to Indy's first NBA Finals berth since 2000. Oddsmakers give Jalen Brunson and company a good chance of extending the series, though, so this should be quite the epic Game 5 battle.
The Sporting News will dive into the NBA betting odds for this Eastern Conference title showdown, then preview the action and deliver our best bets, top player props, and final score prediction.
Can Karl-Anthony Towns lead the Knicks to victory like he did in the fourth quarter of Game 3? Or, will the feisty and relentless Pacers prevail once again and put New York out of its misery?
Here's our betting preview for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Pacers, including the odds, our spread and over/under picks and the top player props.
Knicks vs. Pacers Game 5: Spread, moneyline, over/under
All odds and props are from BetMGM, an authorized gaming operator of the NBA.
- ATS: Knicks -4.5 (-105) | Pacers +4.5 (-115)
- Moneyline: Knicks -200 | Pacers +165
- Over/under: O 222.5 (-115) | U 220.5 (-105)
BetMGM and bettors alike don't seem too worried about the Knicks being down 3-1. The sportsbook still likes New York to win this game, and just about 50 percent of moneyline bettors have sided with the home squad. A whopping 67 percent of spread bets have been on Indy, though, and 87 percent of over/under bets are on the OVER.
Knicks vs. Pacers Game 5 best bets and final score prediction
The Knicks won Game 3 and came pretty dang close to stealing Game 4, but they could never truly recover from Indy's 43-point first quarter. The referees also let some questionable contact go late in the game, which turned out to be crippling blows in the form of no-calls.
There's no excuse for allowing that many points in a quarter, but let's just say that Indy still doesn't feel like a team that can gentleman sweep these Knicks. Karl-Anthony Towns led New York to a road victory just two games ago — isn't he fully capable of taking over Game 5 at home? The Madison Square Garden crowd might be the most raucous we've seen it since the Paul Pierce vs. Carmelo Anthony days.
We should also get the first glance of Tom Thibodeau's more extended playoff rotation, which he hadn't really unrolled in Games 1 and 2. New York has been able to establish much more rhythm and ball movement with the larger rotation, and it's even rebounding and defending better with more hands on deck.
It's also safe to assume that the Knicks will get a more favorable whistle at home, especially after Thibs openly chastised the Game 4 officials for missing a charge taken by Jalen Brunson. If New York plays with physicality and aggressiveness, it should have a damn good shot at extending this series at least one more game.
A lot has happened since Rick Carlisle's squad ran the Indy 500 at MSG in the opening two games of this series. New York has outscored Indiana 118-103 over the past two second halves, both at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Back in the uncomfortable confines of the world's most famous arena, can the Pacers beat the odds once again and eliminate the Knickerbockers? We think not.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION: Knicks 112, Pacers 107 — New York wins and just barely covers (-4.5), while the score finishes UNDER the projected total of 222.5.
Knicks vs. Pacers Game 5 top player prop bet
*The Others* player prop parlay (+135):
— Mikal Bridges 15+ points
— Josh Hart 7+ rebounds
— OG Anunoby 2+ three-pointers
Everyone and their uncle will be betting KAT and Brunson points props, but that's what the oddsmakers are expecting, so they're spending more time prepping those lines. Go for some ancillary players' props, and combine a few alt-props to trim down the target goals. It's an easy way to get double-up value, or better, and it can make watching and rooting a lot more fun and a lot less stressful.
Bridges always seems to be one of New York's go-to scorers in tight games. Everyone on the Knicks has trust in him, and he has rewarded that faith by scoring 15-plus points in five straight games dating back to the Boston series. Hart, meanwhile, has ripped down 21 boards over the past two games and he has hit seven or more in six of New York's past seven games. And Anunoby, the silent assassin, has hit two-plus treys in four of the past five, as well as five of the past six at MSG.