The New York Knicks (50-32) travel to face off against the Indiana Pacers (47-35) on Friday, May 17th. This game will be played at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and televised on ESPN. The Knicks are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Pacers are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Pacers. Tip-off is set for 8:30 ET.

Knicks vs Pacers

The Knicks were able to cover the spread in their most recent game against the Pacers, winning by a score of 121-91. New York was favored by 1.5 points heading into the game. The over/under line was set at 218 points, and the teams fell six points short of that line. New York’s defense was strong, holding the Pacers to just 43.1% shooting. The Knicks were led by Jalen Brunson’s 44 points.

Brunson was also the game’s leading scorer, and he knocked down two threes while shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc. As a team, the Knicks shot 34.3% from three-point range and hit 12 threes. New York’s defense was able to hold the Pacers to just 12 made threes, despite Indiana shooting 44.4% from three.

Knicks Offense Breakdown

The Knicks will be without Julius Randle for today’s game. He is averaging 24 points and 9.2 rebounds this season. Bojan Bogdanovic and OG Anunoby are also out. Bogdanovic is averaging 15.2 points per game and has hit 39.8% of his threes, while Anunoby is averaging 14.7 points and 38.2% shooting from outside.

Jalen Brunson has been carrying the Knicks offense of late, averaging 32 points per game in his last five games. This has come on a field goal percentage of 48.4%. Across these games, he also averaged 5.8 assists and 3 rebounds. For the season, he is averaging 28.7 points and 6.7 assists.

Pacers Offense Breakdown

Indiana comes into the game as the NBA’s top-scoring offense, averaging 123.3 points per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 124.9 points per contest. The Pacers are also among the league leaders in pace, averaging 101.2 possessions per game.

Looking at Tyrese Haliburton’s last five games, he is averaging 21.6 points per game on 53.3% shooting. In these games, he hit 4 threes per game. Pascal Siakam is averaging 19 points per game in his last five games, while his season average is 21.7 points per game. Indiana will be without Bennedict Mathurin, who is averaging 14.5 points per game.

Knicks Team Defense

On the season, the Knicks have been one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, ranking 5th in points allowed at 108.4 per game. They have been especially stingy at home, where they are giving up just 105.6 points per game, which is 3rd in the league.

Over their last five games, New York has seen a dip in their defensive numbers, allowing 112.2 points per contest. During that stretch, they have struggled to defend the three-point line, giving up a 41.9% clip from beyond the arc.

On the year, opponents have made fewer threes than their season average 67.1% of the time vs. the Knicks. However, on the season, New York is just 28th in blocked shots per game at 4.1.

Pacers Team Defense

When it comes to defense, the Pacers have struggled this season, coming in 27th in the league at 119.2 points per game. They have been especially bad at home, where they are giving up 117.2 points per game, which is 25th in the NBA.

One area where the Pacers have excelled on defense is in three-point shooting. They are first in the league in three-pointers made allowed per game at just 10.8. Opponents are also attempting the fewest threes per game against Indiana at 29.5.

Overall, opponents have shot 49.5% from the field against the Pacers, which is 27th in the league. However, over their last five games, they have been better in that area, coming in 17th in field goal percentage allowed at 47.7%.

Key Players For The Knicks And Pacers

For today’s matchup, we project Jalen Brunson to lead the scoring for the Knicks, putting up 30 points and shooting at a rate of 11/23. This season, he is averaging 28.7 points per game along with 3.6 boards.

On the opposing side, we anticipate Pascal Siakam to be the top scorer for the Pacers. Our projection has him finishing the game with 21, and he is expected to secure 7 rebounds. This season, he is shooting at a field goal percentage of 53.6%, and his scoring average is 21.7 points per game.

Knicks vs Pacers Trends

• New York has a 2-3 record in their last five road games. In this stretch, they averaged 104 points per game while allowing 112. The team also performed well vs the spread at 3-2.
• In their last ten games at home, the Pacers have a straight up record of 2-8 while going 3-7 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 111 points per game in these contests.
• Going back to their previous three games as the underdog, New York has an ATS mark of 2-1 while going 1-2 straight up.
• In their last five games as the betting favorite, the Pacers have a strong straight up record of 4-1. In addition, their ATS record was 3-2 in these scenarios.

Knicks vs Pacers Prediction

For a point-spread wager in this Pacers vs. Knicks game, we suggest taking the Knicks at +6.5. Even though our predictions have the Pacers winning 115-110, we see the Knicks as the better choice on the point-spread.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 215.5, and our model predicts the Knicks and Pacers to score a combined 225 points. We recommend betting on the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.