Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Game 5 Prediction, NBA Odds
Undaunted by their lacklustre performance in a 106-100 home loss in Game 3, the Pacers roared back to claim a decisive 130-121 victory in Game 4 and now enjoy a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Knicks have now lost five of their past eight games and have failed to record consecutive wins since claiming the first two games in their second round series with the Boston Celtics.
The Pacers return to the Big Apple trailing as 4.5-point underdogs on Thursday’s NBA odds, but remain perched as short -650 chalk on the NBA playoff series prices and +650 second favourites on the NBA Finals odds. The Knicks trail as +450 long shots to rebound and win this series and the total for Game 5 is pegged at 222.5.
Pacers vs. Knicks NBA Betting Odds
After blowing an early 20-point lead and turning in a listless performance after recess in Game 3, the Pacers returned to more familiar form in Game 4 on Tuesday night, racking up 43 points in first-quarter action on their way to their highest-scoring home performance of the postseason.
Fast starts have been a recurring theme for Indiana in these playoffs, with the club scoring at least 30 in the opening frame in nine of 15 contests and reaching 40 points twice. However, that has failed to pay dividends for NBA betting fans taking the OVER, which has paid out in just three of each of these teams’ past seven games.
Big point totals have helped make the Pacers a reliable bet. Indiana has now covered the spread in seven of their past nine outings and have won outright in six straight on the road, all as betting underdogs.
Conversely, the Knicks have struggled in recent appearances on Broadway, going just 2-4 straight up and against the spread in six home dates since opening their playoff schedule with a decisive 123-112 win over Detroit.
Indiana Pacers
The duo of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam took matters into their own hands in Game 4 and their efforts paid off handsomely in the Pacers’ biggest playoff win in a quarter-century. In the wake of a forgettable Game 3 performance, Haliburton emerged as a dominant force at both ends of the court in Game 4, piling up 32 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds while recording his first triple-double of the season. Haliburton is now perched as a short -130 bet on the NBA player props to post another double-double on Thursday.
Siakam emerged as the big beneficiary of Haliburton’s playmaking in Game 4. “Spicy P” put up 30 points on Tuesday night and is an attractive +210 wager on the alternate player points props to score at least 25 in Game 5.
New York Knicks
Now facing elimination, the Knicks must find a way to flip the script on their overall shaky playoff performance on home hardwood at MSG. And their inability to rebound from yet another double-digit deficit in Game 4 does not bode well for this club’s chances of ending their lengthy absence from the NBA Finals.
Jalen Brunson once again led the attack with 31 points and five assists, while Karl-Anthony Towns dominated in the paint, pulling down 12 boards to go along with 24 points. However, the health of the big man has now emerged as a real worry, with Towns’ status officially listed as questionable for Game 5 due to a knee injury. It will have to be a serious injury for Towns to miss the Knicks’ biggest game of the season, but if he is unable to go, look for Josh Hart to draw a bigger assignment after tallying double-digit rebound totals in three of the first four games of the series.
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