The New York Knicks will be home favorites at the sportsbooks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday afternoon as they open up their best-of-seven second-round playoff series against the Pacers.
The Knicks and Pacers met four times during the regular season, with New York going 2-2 SU and 3-1 ATS over those four contests - and the OVER/UNDER going 1-3. The Knicks topped the Celtics in the first round, while Indiana knocked out the Atlanta Hawks.
The Knicks bring a 54-28 record (46-35-1 ATS) to the battle against the 49-32 Pacers, who are 42-39 ATS. OVER/UNDER bettors have seen New York go 40-40-2 so far and the Pacers go 39-42. (Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news).
View Indiana vs New York Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
For bettors going with the Knicks in this one, they were listed earlier as 5-point favorites on the betting line at Sportsbook. Totals bettors have seen that number set at 185 for Monday at shops such as Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
This game pits the Knicks, currently No. 9 in the Odds Shark NBA Power Rankings, against the Pacers, who rate No. 2 in the most recent survey. Meanwhile, math and computer handicapping models run on this game predict a 100-99 victory for the Knicks.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up New York's No. 11-ranked offense (100 PPG) against a Pacers defense that ranks No. 2 at 90.7 PPG. The Knicks have averaged 44.8% from the field per game, more than the Pacers have managed so far this season (43.6% on average).
Defensively, the Pacers feature the league's No. 1-rated defense on the road, giving up 91.6 points per game. New York, meanwhile, comes in at No. 9 in the league in scoring at home.
Last time out for Indiana, they were an 81-73 Sportsbook as they battled the Hawks on the road. The Pacers covered in the match as a 1-point underdog, while 154 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. David West scored 21 points leading the Pacers to an 81-73 victory over Atlanta at Philips Arena on Friday.
Last time out for New York, they were an 88-80 Sportsbook as they battled the Celtics on the road. The Knicks covered in the match as a 2.5-point favorite, while 168 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. New York earned an 88-80 victory over Boston on Friday, getting 21 points from Carmelo Anthony at TD Garden.
Indiana Pacers Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 4-6
After playing Atlanta are 6-4
After a win are 6-4
New York Knicks Trends:
When playing on Sunday are 8-2
After playing Boston are 6-4
After a win are 7-3
A few Pacers at Knicks trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 5 games when playing on the road against New York
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Indiana's last 11 games
Indiana is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Indiana's last 6 games when playing New York
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of New York's last 5 games at home
New York is 12-1 SU in its last 13 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York's last 7 games
New York is 20-4 SU in its last 24 games
Next up:
Indiana at New York, Tuesday, May 7
New York home to Indiana, Tuesday, May 7
