The New York Knicks made a bold move before the season, trading Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. This strategic decision has paid off, as the Knicks find themselves in the Eastern Conference finals for only the second time since 1975—and the first time as favorites since 1994. Currently, the Knicks are -155 favorites to advance to the NBA Finals at BetMGM.
The Indiana Pacers, on the other hand, are making their second consecutive appearance in the conference finals. This year, they enter the series healthier than last year, when they were swept by the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics. Led by Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers stunned the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the previous round and are poised to face the challenging environment of Madison Square Garden without fear.
This series promises to be another thrilling matchup between two Eastern Conference rivals. Handicapper Michael Fiddle offers his insights on the Knicks-Pacers series and his top betting picks:
No. 3 New York Knicks (-155) vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers (+130)
Fiddle notes, “The Knicks enter with a rest disadvantage, but having closed out Game 6 on Saturday, they still have four days off, which offsets that disadvantage. It was crucial for them to finish that series in Game 6 to avoid traveling to and from Boston.”
His model projected the regular-season numbers as Knicks -3.6 in Game 1, making Knicks -3.5 an accurate line, especially with some Knicks action entering the market. Considering home-court advantage, which is slightly more significant in the playoffs, a line of -4 or -4.5 seems reasonable. He anticipates this line will increase slightly. The home-court advantage for the Knicks should be more pronounced in the playoffs than in the regular season, as star players who are questionable are more likely to play at MSG.
“I favor the Knicks at -4.5 or better in Game 1 and the Knicks to win the series. All regular-season matchups trended toward the over and cashed the over on the closing line, and we’ve already seen the total move up by 2.5 points. This series is likely to be high-scoring, with a Knicks victory.”
Best bets: NY Knicks -4.5 in Game 1, NY Knicks -155 to win series