Back Pacers outright with NYK fading defensively
Jay Croucher and Drew Dinsick handicap Game 5 of the Pacers-Knicks series and explain why they are backing Indiana outright as the Knicks search for answers on defense.
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USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Should the OKC Thunder root for the Pacers or Knicks to advance to 2025 NBA Finals?
Should the OKC Thunder root for the Pacers or Knicks to advance to 2025 NBA Finals? The Oklahoma City Thunder will have another week off before their next playoff series. After they beat the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games in the Western Conference Finals, they await their 2025 NBA Finals opponent. It'll either be the Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks. The Thunder cruised through the West. They have been 12-4 in the playoffs so far with mostly blowout wins. After a historic 68-14 regular season, their dominance has carried over to the postseason as a buzzsaw. Meanwhile, the Pacers remain red-hot. Late-game heroics and upsets have fueled their playoff run as they hold a 3-2 series lead over the Knicks. Speaking of, New York has had three straight classic playoff series. They were all heavyweight bouts with close wins. Let's spell out every argument for the Pacers and Knicks as to why the Thunder should and shouldn't favor a matchup against them in the 2025 NBA Finals: The case for the Pacers The Thunder won both regular-season meetings against the Pacers. The first was a close road win on the day after Christmas. The second was a blowout home victory in late March. Both featured Tyrese Haliburton being shut down. That's a very replicable game plan. The Pacers are deep, but Haliburton is the center of their universe. He's led the playoffs in assists at 9.5. The playmaker has orchestrated the top offense. That plays right into the Thunder's strength. They can throw Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace at Indiana's franchise star. If you can rattle him, the rest of the roster will be affected. If the Thunder can force Andrew Nembhard to be the lead ball-handler, that'll be a huge win. He can put up numbers, but Indiana's offense will nosedive if Haliburton devolves into an off-ball player. They also have a perfect counter to Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. Also, good luck slowing down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Pacers have zero high-end defenders to throw at him. This should be a series where he averages an efficient 30-plus points and dissects Indiana's defense. Look at what Jalen Brunson has done to them. The case against the Pacers If anybody can make the Thunder rethink their defensive philosophy, it's the Pacers. The league-best defense is cool with conceding outside looks, especially from the corners. They trust their high-end perimeter defenders to make the right rotations to contest. It's worked out so far in the playoffs, too. The Thunder have allowed the fourth-most 3-pointers in the playoffs at 38.7 attempts. Despite that, opponents have only shot 33.1% from deep. Some of that is luck, while some of that is that they haven't faced a team filled with elite outside shooters. Looking at the Pacers' roster, their entire starting lineup is an outside threat. Any of them can randomly go off for 20 points because they hit their outside buckets. The Pacers could challenge that. They've shot a league-best 39.3% from 3 in the playoffs. That's on a decent volume of 33.4 attempts. They've had the best offense in the playoffs because of their hot outside shooting. Any misreads or lazy closeouts by OKC could snowball on the scoreboard. The case for the Knicks The Thunder won both regular-season meetings against the Knicks. They had a strong fourth quarter to mount a comeback in their first win in early January. The next week, they blew out New York at MSG. Isaiah Joe exploded for 31 points while Gilgeous-Alexander had an efficient 30-plus points in both matchups. Like the Denver Nuggets, the Knicks are a top-heavy squad. It shouldn't be a shocker to see Tom Thibodeau only trust seven players. They have a strong starting lineup with Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns being their best two players. Brunson will get his stats. He averaged 24.5 points and seven rebounds in two games against OKC, but on 42% shooting. Considering how quiet Anthony Edwards and Ja Morant were against the Thunder, they have the proper perimeter defenders to limit New York's best player. The Thunder could rely on the Denver route and dare others like Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby to beat them from the outside. Meanwhile, the Thunder have enjoyed role players going off against the Knicks. Although it was in the regular season, if they can get a random Joe or Aaron Wiggins pop-off game, that could swing the odds even heavier in OKC's favor. The case against the Knicks While Gilgeous-Alexander has been viewed as the best player in these playoffs, Brunson is seen as the second-best. He's averaged 30.1 points on 46.1% shooting and seven assists. He's been a high-volume outside shooter at 36% on 7.5 attempts. The free-throw numbers have remained strong at 8.2 attempts. While the Thunder would be the best defense Brunson has faced, he could be a player who will get his regardless of the defenders thrown his way. Expect the All-Star to get to the rim and annoy OKC fans with the number of calls he gets. He could be a one-man show that keeps New York in it. Towns could also have a decent series. He's the right combination of size and skill. This could be another series where Isaiah Hartenstein could be played off the court if New York is smart and cross-matches against the bruising big. Let's also throw in the homecourt advantage. MSG is known as the Basketball Mecca. That type of nickname carries an aura about its playoff atmosphere. Several A-list celebrities have enlisted as Knicks mascots. The bright lights could be a little too much for the young Thunder. Final verdict The Thunder should enter the NBA Finals as a heavy favorite regardless of who advances. The West is just a different animal. The Pacers and Knicks are closer to the Memphis Grizzlies than the Nuggets or Timberwolves on the talent scale. But if the Thunder had a preferred matchup, it would be the Knicks. A 3-1 series comeback is a daunting task that should require all of their energy. A Game 7 win on Monday would only give the two days to relax before the NBA Finals tipped off in OKC. That already puts them at a disadvantage before Game 1 even started, considering how top-heavy they are. And while Brunson brings his challenges, the Thunder will be numbed by the undersized scorer. Nikola Jokic was the ultimate stress test. They held him to one of his worst playoff series ever, which was only salvaged by a couple of 40-point outbursts. OKC grew from that experience. No offense to Brunson, but he's nowhere near the one-man threat the three-time MVP winner is. The Thunder have handled the Knicks well over the last few years. Gilgeous-Alexander has dominated New York. He should play like an MVP winner against them. Even if Bridges, Anunoby and Josh Hart each get their turn to slow him down. Not to sound too cocky, but it should be a quick Finals series.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
May 31, 2025 NBA games: Odds, tips and betting trends
May 31, 2025 NBA games: Odds, tips and betting trends The NBA Playoff outings in a Saturday slate that shouldn't be missed include the New York Knicks taking on the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Check out our betting preview for the NBA's action today. NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 8:51 AM ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Today's NBA games: Betting information NBA League Pass: The most live games plus NBA TV. Sign up today The Knicks will take the court against the Pacers at 8:00 PM ET on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Favorite: Pacers (-3.5) Pacers (-3.5) Total: 219.5 219.5 Moneyline: Pacers (-175) | Knicks (+145) Click here for a full betting preview Watch the NBA on Fubo! Watch the NBA on TNT on Sling!
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6 pick: NBA Eastern Conference finals prediction, odds, best bets
Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commission if you sign up through our links. Read our editorial standards for more information. The 'Hicks versus Knicks' rivalry from the '90s was renewed the past two seasons, but this year's series has really delivered. The Knicks are underdogs heading west to Indiana for a potential elimination Game 6, but not by much as you'd think. DraftKings has the Knicks as 3.5-point underdogs on Saturday against the Pacers, who surely don't want to deal with a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. The Knicks appear to have found a few advantages thanks to some surprising adjustments from coach Tom Thibodeau. Thibodeau has begun expanding his lineups and giving more runway to the likes of Delon Wright and Landry Shamet, who have done an excellent job playing perimeter defense. Shamet has the second-best defensive rating of any player in the conference finals (East or West) with a minimum of two total minutes played. This has changed everything for the Knicks, as they've received legitimate contributions from bench players and that's helped lessen the burden on the starting lineup as games get tight down the stretch. Earlier in this series, I detailed the Pacers' ability to wear the Knicks down and win fourth quarters based on their previous net rating numbers being the best among all playoff teams. Well, those numbers have cratered against the Knicks. Indiana has a minus-8.3 net-rating and there's legitimate concern for the Pacers at this point. Since Thibodeau brought in some of his deeper bench pieces and outscored the Pacers by 16 points in the fourth quarter of Game 3, Indiana is 0-2-1 in the fourth quarters of games. Tyrese Haliburton drives past Mikal Bridges during the Pacers' Game 5 loss to the Knicks. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post It's on Rick Carlisle to make adjustments and figure this out, but there is indeed reason for optimism for New York. The Knicks have played well on the road in the postseason, winning six of their eight games. Follow The Post's coverage of the Knicks in the 2025 NBA Playoffs Sports+ subscribers: Sign up for Inside the Knicks to get daily newsletter coverage and join Expert Take for insider texts about the series. I suspect that the Knicks' bench will still be outscored in this game, as it has been throughout the whole series, but the Knicks are in a good spot to get a win and force Game 7. Back the Knicks to win Game 6 and see you at the World's Most Famous Arena on Monday. Betting on the NBA? If you have a ticket on the Pacers winning the series (+150) and the Pacers winning Game 1/series (+240), this could be a spot to hedge cheaply. The best price on the Knicks winning the series is +290 at Caesars Sportsbook. THE PLAY: Knicks moneyline (+150, Bet365) Why Trust New York Post Betting Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he's showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
