Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks
The Pacers are one win away from securing their spot in the 2025 NBA Finals, where they will meet the Thunder, who were afforded a longer rest after closing out the Timberwolves in five games. After failing to close the Knicks out in Madison Square Garden in Game 5 last Thursday, the Pacers have a golden opportunity to do so at home tomorrow in Game 6 and potentially celebrate the Eastern Conference championship in front of their fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Neutral basketball fans would want to see a Game 7, but Indiana fans know they cannot afford to lose Game 6, as New York will have some momentum when they return to Madison Square Garden on Monday (if necessary). They learned the hard way that the Knicks are a different animal when they’re backed against the wall.
Without further ado, read more below to learn the latest NBA 2025 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Talking Points
Haliburton looked flat in Game 5
After posting an absurd stat line in Game 4 with 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, four steals, five three-pointers, and zero turnovers, two days later, Tyrese Haliburton went for eight points, six assists, and two steals on 2-for-7 shooting from the field. For context, in Games 1 to 4, Haliburton scored or assisted on 41 percent of his team’s points.
With Haliburton struggling, the Pacers couldn’t find a rhythm offensively. The starting five of him, Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Myles Turner, and Andrew Nembhard combined for only 37 points, the second fewest for a team in a postseason game this year. They also turned the ball over 20 times, their most in a game these playoffs.
Bennedict Mathurin was the team’s lone bright spot with 23 points and nine rebounds on 6-for-10 shooting from the field off the bench, and Obi Toppin added 11 points. Nobody else from the team scored in double figures.
Knicks defense must show up again
Throughout this postseason, the Knicks have struggled setting the tone at the start of games, but that wasn’t the case in Game 5. With their backs against the wall last Thursday, Jalen Brunson scored the game’s first three baskets en route to notching 14 of his 32 points in the opening quarter to help the Knicks secure a wire-to-wire 111-94 victory.
Holding Indiana, one of the league’s most dangerous offensive teams, to only 94 points did not happen by accident, as New York locked them up. The Knicks did a superb job of forcing the Pacers to use up the shot clock and throw bad shots, as 19 percent of their shots came in the last seven seconds, per Second Spectrum tracking. Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns also came to play with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three assists on 10-for-20 shooting.
The Knicks will fancy their chances in Game 6 if they can defend like that, or if the Pacers miss their open shots.
History
Losing in Game 6 is not the end of the world for the Pacers, as they’ll have one more crack at closing the Knicks in Game 7. When these two teams met in last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals, Indiana eliminated New York in Game 7 at Madison Square Garden. Road teams have won nine of the last 14 Game 7s overall.
The Pacers haven’t lost two consecutive games since March 10, and they don’t want that streak to end anytime soon. However, the Knicks boast a 6-2 record in these playoffs, just like the Pacers. New York are trying to become the first team since the Nuggets in the 2020 Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Clippers to come back from a 1-3 deficit.
What are the odds?
The NBA 2025 odds favor the Pacers to shut the door on the Knicks in Game 6 and advance to the NBA Finals. Indiana are pegged at 1.57 to win in the money line, while New York are priced at 2.44. The hosts are also backed in the Asian Handicap market with -4.50 at 2.04 being the highest offer.
Game 5 was an anomaly for Indiana, and we’re sure they’re not going to have another low-scoring game this series. Bettors can also go for Over 218.50 at 1.78, Over 219.00 at 1.84, Over 219.50 at 1.90, and Over 220.00 at 1.96 as alternatives.
We could see another high-profile showdown between Tyrese Haliburton and Jalen Brunson, making Over 51.50 (points combined) at 1.87 viable. Moreover, we also envision Pascal Siakam and Karl-Anthony Towns dominating the boards, making Over 17.50 (rebounds combined) at 1.92 also worth considering.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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