The best sportsbooks have released their NBA odds for Game 2 between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks.
For your best bet, I recommend investing in Indiana for this matchup. And, for more top picks for the NBA Playoffs, visit our YouTube channel.
For additional NBA best bets from our experts:
NBA Pick: Pacers +4.5 (-105) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks
Wednesday, May 08, 2024 – 08:00 PM ET at Madison Square Garden
New York’s Game 1 Overachievement
The Knicks won Game 1 by the slimmest of margins despite their unsustainable overachievement from behind the arc. They converted 47.8 percent of their three-point attempts.
On the season, they are shooting 36.6 percent of their threes at home. One has to expect them to regress to the mean.
This expectation is especially valid given the quality of Indiana’s perimeter defense. Indiana did a great job of limiting wide-open three-point attempts.
The Knicks, however, made an absurd 60% of their wide-open three-point attempts. Moreover, they converted an equally absurd two of five tightly contested three-pointers.
A lower point total from the Knicks, a consequence of their decline in three-point shooting, will make it easier for Indiana to even the series.
Indiana’s Bench
Now, one might say that the Pacers’ bench overachieved in Game 1.
But Obi Toppin has become a consistent double-digit scorer for the Pacers, and T.J. McConnell’s Game 1 performance wasn’t even as strong as his second-to-last game, Game 6 versus Milwaukee.
We knew coming into this series that the Pacers would have an advantage with their depth. New York likes to rely on a shorter rotation with its starters playing more minutes.
Indiana’s ability to play fast magnifies the disparity between each team’s quality of depth, a disparity that will only become more apparent in Game 2 with the teams being less rested than they were up to the beginning of this series.
Indiana’s Key Scorers
Expect more from Pascal Siakam in Game 2.
New York’s rim protection is down with the injury of starting center Mitchell Robinson. With Isaiah Hartenstein drawn away from the basket to try to deal with sharpshooting center Myles Turner, who can definitely be more efficient from deep in Game 2 than he was in Game 1, Siakam will face less overall resistance at the basket.
Tyrese Haliburton was, similar to Game 1 against Milwaukee, unusually passive.
It is impressive that Indiana was able to thrive in Game 1 given the minimal impact that he exercised, despite the expectation that he be a key scorer and facilitator for the offense.
Haliburton bounced back in Indiana’s Game 2 win over the Bucks, and I expect the same improvement from him tonight.
Defending Jalen Brunson
Indiana, despite New York’s success from deep, was actually leading in the fourth quarter.
One key to finishing off the Knicks will be to defend their star point guard more effectively.
Andrew Nembhard improved against Milwaukee’s star point guard, and I expect him to likewise make adjustments against Jalen Brunson.
With his energy, Nembhard characteristically does a good job of putting pressure on opposing point guards. Indiana will also give Brunson different looks, such as with a lengthy Aaron Nesmith.
Brunson’s streak of 40-point outputs has been quite insane, but Indiana has the personnel to end it.
Takeaway
Continual consistency from Indiana’s bench as part of its depth advantage, worse three-point shooting from the Knicks, a better defensive effort against Brunson, more offensive production from Siakam, Turner, and Haliburton, and New York’s apparent willingness to comply with Indiana’s proclivity to play fast will make covering the spread all the easier for Indiana in Game 2.
NBA Pick: Pacers +4.5 (-105) at BetOnline
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
Calculators
