In a rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals, longtime rivals Indiana and New York collide in the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, which gets underway at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.
The Knicks hardly resemble the banged up team that Indiana took down a year ago.
New York replaced C Isaiah Hartenstein and G Donte DiVincenzo with Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns in the offseason. It also should have much better injury luck after several key players were limited or missed games in last year's battle between these teams.
For the Pacers, the names on the back of the jerseys are mostly the same as they were a year ago. But don't mistake Indiana for a team that is "happy to be here" after it was swept by the Celtics in last year's Eastern Conference Finals.
Pacers vs. Knicks Game 1 Betting Odds
DK FD bet365
IND spread +4.5 (-110) +4.5 (-110) +4.5 (-110)
NYK spread -4.5 (-110) -4.5 (-110) -4.5 (-110)
IND ML +150 +158 +160
NYK ML -180 -188 -190
Total 222.5 (o-110; u-110) 223.5 (o-108; u-112) 223.5 (o-110; u-110)
How to Watch Pacers vs. Knicks Game 1
Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET
Channel: TNT/Max
Pacers vs. Knicks Game 1 Pick, Analysis
Assuming neither team goes ice-cold from 3-point land, this game should be one of the more high-scoring, entertaining contests of the postseason.
Remember, the winner of all three regular-season meetings between Indiana and New York finished with at least 123 points, with totals of 221, 253 and 243 points.
We're also talking about two teams that finished in the top 10 in the NBA in offensive rating in the regular season and middle-of-the-pack in defensive rating.
Indiana has allowed 109 points or more in 7 of 10 playoff games, but it has nevertheless gone 8-2 to date in the postseason. Meanwhile, the Knicks also struggled to get stops against both the Pistons in the first round and the Celtics in the conference finals.
Pacers vs. Knicks Game 1 Best Bets
Have we mentioned we expect a high-possession, high-scoring battle?
In addition to the over, I also like the Knicks to win and narrowly cover in a close one.
Both Karl-Anthony Towns (30.1 ppg, 12 rpg in three games vs. Indiana) and Jalen Brunson (22.3 ppg, 7.3 apg) torched the Pacers in the regular season. Until Indiana proves it can slow down the Knicks' top two scorers, let's ride with the favorites at home in what should be a back-and-forth battle.
Let's round out our Pacers vs. Knicks Game 1 best bets with a play on New York to go over its team total. The Knicks not only scored 120 or more points in all three of the head-to-head matchups between these teams, but also posted an effective field goal percentage of at least 59 in all three of those games.
Over 222.5 (-110 at DraftKings) -- 1 unit
Knicks Team Total Over 113.5 (-105 at DK) -- 1 unit
Knicks -4.5 (-110 at FanDuel) -- 0.5 units
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This story was originally published May 21, 2025 at 1:11 PM.