The New York Knicks will be looking to continue their dominance over the Indiana Pacers for basketball bettors on Thursday night as those teams hit the hardwood at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Knicks knocked off the Pacers 88-76 as a 7-point home favorite on the NBA betting lines in their first meeting of the season back on November 18. That improved New York to 4-1 both SU and ATS over their five most recent games against Indiana dating back to 2011.
Indiana battles the Knicks, currently with a 23-11 mark (18-16 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, important for totals bettors, are 14-21 for the Pacers and 19-13-2 for the Knicks. (Note: follow us on Twitter for line updates and injuries news).
View New York vs Indiana Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
For bettors going with the Pacers 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 185.5 for Monday at shops such as Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Pacers at No. 7 and the Knicks at No. 17 heading into this contest. Handicapping models run by the computers at Odds Shark project a 100-97 result in favor of the Knicks.
How They Match Up:
In rebounding, the battle of the boards features Indiana's No. 1-rated squad against New York's No. 27-rated roster. When it comes to long-range shooting, Indiana rates No. 20 in the league with 6.4 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 1 with 11.4 per outing.
In comparing how the teams stack up statistically, the Knicks own the league's No. 14-rated mark, allowing 98.8 points per game when playing on the road. Indiana, on the other hand, rates No. 24 in scoring on their home court.
New York lost its last outing, a 102-96 result against the Celtics on January 7. The Knicks failed to cover in that game as a 7.5-point favorite, while the 198 combined points took the game OVER the total. J.R. Smith scored 24 points in a failed effort to lead the Knicks to victory (they lost 102-96 to Boston at Madison Square Garden on Monday).
Indiana won its last outing, an 87-77 result against the Heat on January 8. The Pacers covered in that game as a 1.5-point underdog, while the 164 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Paul George scored 29 points and added 11 rebounds for a double-double, leading Indiana over Miami, 87-77, on Tuesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
New York Knicks Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
Before playing Chicago are 7-3
After playing Boston are 2-8
After a loss are 8-2
Indiana Pacers Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 4-6
Before playing Charlotte are 5-5
After playing Miami are 3-7
After a win are 7-3
A few Knicks at Pacers trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of New York's last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of New York's last 5 games on the road
New York is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York's last 9 games when playing Indiana
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 5 games
Indiana is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Indiana's last 5 games at home
Indiana is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Next up:
New York home to Chicago, Friday, January 11
Indiana home to Charlotte, Saturday, January 12
