Back in the days, when Reggie Miller and the Pacers would come to play in Madison Square Arena, the Knicks fans wouldn’t let them hear what they think about them. With the Porzingis-led Knicks surging, the arena felt as lively as back in those days. Make sure you catch a piece of this action as old East rivals meet on Sunday to form a new rivalry.
Pacers at Knicks
Spread: New York -2 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 217 points (-110)
The Pacers fall to the Sixers, 110-121
With the score tied late in the fourth quarter, Sixers sharpshooter J.J. Redick made three straight buckets from long distance to give his team a decisive nine-point lead as they defeated the Indiana Pacers and halt a three-game winning streak.
It was a tough loss for the Pacers who must feel like they’ve done enough to deserve to win, especially as their guards shots well. Oladipo continued his strong play with 31 points, and Bogdanovic is finally hitting shots – he added 21. They made several big baskets at times when the Sixers appeared to gain momentum, but in the end, the Sixers made all the big shots. Thad Young continues his case for starting PF, scoring 15 points and grabbing 5 boards. Despite most of the points coming from the starters, it was actually the Pacers bench that had given them more on the plus-minus, playing much better D. On a night when the Pacers shot just 8-of-28 from the three-point range and 12-of-19 from the stripe, they could not win allowing the Sixers to shoot 50 percent from the two and the three. It starts with Collison, who had a tough time slowing down the ball and played a terrible game overall, finishing with 2 points (1-of-9 shooting) and -29 on the plus/minus. To be fair, not many opposing point guard will have the physique and the talent of Ben Simmons, who is already racking up triple-doubles.
The Pacers didn’t get the victory, but they got one of their key pieces back. Center Myles Turner was very effective off the bench with 11 points, nine rebounds and 3 blocks. Sabonis was in foul trouble so Turner played a bit more than it was announced, but his conditioning looked perfect and it won’t be long until he claims his starter’s spot back. Also, rookie power forward T.J. Leaf rolled his left ankle late in the first quarter and did not return, so he might miss some time.
Place: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Date/Time: Sunday, November 5th, 2017. 7:30 PM ET
TV Coverage: MSG, Fox Sports Indiana
Porzingis dominates the Suns, the Knicks win again
While the rumors around his NBA future continue to swirl, Kristaps Porzingis played brilliantly Friday night, scoring 37 points to lead the Knicks to a 120-107 victory over the Suns. It was his sixth game of at least 30 points and the Knicks’ fourth win in their last five games. The loss to Houston was so ugly but the Knicks did not let it bring them down and the positive attitude carried over to the next game.
The Knicks were agile on both sides of the court, opening an early 40-19 lead (the fourth time in the last five games that they have led by at least 21) over the Suns who didn’t know what had hit them. The Knicks shot 51.7 percent from the field as Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 points and Enes Kanter finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Doug McDermott had 12 points and Beasley scored 11 off the bench, nine coming in a 95-second stretch spanning the third and fourth quarters that helped regain full control of the outcome. The unsung hero of the turnaround the Knicks are having, Jarrett Jack, finished the game with just 2 points, but had 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Sadly, the New York media are slowly starting a push for Ntilikina to start for the Knicks, but hopefully coaching staff won’t succumb to such pressure.
Enes Kanter had to briefly leave the game after a head-to-head collision with Suns forward T.J. Warren, but should be fine going forward as he showed no signs of a concussion. Backup guard Baker is questionable to play again, having missed the last five games.
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks Game Trends & Prediction
After a disappointing outcome in Philadephia, the Indiana Pacers are now 6-3 against the spread, still very much a satisfying record for their backers. They tend to give up more points away from home, and that hurt their away ATS record, but also made them more predictable on the total market. The Pacers are only 5-4 against the over/under, but 4-1 when only the road games are observed.
NY Knicks are 4-1 ATS in their last five, after starting the season with three straight losses. They are also 3-2 at home, and this being the fourth game in this homestand, they can already say that it’s been good. The success followed their improved ability to put the ball through the hoop. At home, the Knicks are 4-1 against the over/under, while 0-3 away from MSG.
Admi-Rank: Led by matchup nightmare Porzingis, the Knicks have been winning by scoring, and this has helped them improve their rating. However, the most of the damage came at home and against poor teams, so I’m not placing them any higher than this until more good comes from them. The Pacers reached such heights, as they proved to be for real against tougher opposition and more than just a single hot guy. One loss doesn’t change it.
It’s going to be an up and down game, so the shooters should have their hands up and ready as soon as the ball hits the rim. The Knicks may find out that basing their game so much on Porzingis doesn’t pay off when the opposing team has athletic bigs to match his unique skillset. On the other hand, the Pacers have a significant edge on the wings, and should win this unless the Hardaway evokes his inner dr. Jekyll and shoots the lights out.
The books have the Knicks are a small home favorite here, trying to account for the public image this big market team quickly regains. This gives us enough space to work with the away wager. People have made a fortune by fading Knicks and this is a perfect opportunity to get some profit for you. Take the moneyline offer as well, to maximize the odds. The total points have been set at 217, and this is a bit too low considering the pace they both play with. The Knicks current scoring is unsustainable, but let’s try and ride it while it lasts. Take the over bet as well for an evening full of excitement.
My Pick: Indiana +2 (-110) and moneyline +110
Total: Over 217 points (-110)
