Pacers vs. Knicks Series Betting Preview: ECF Odds, Picks, Best Bets

Newsweek

21-05-2025

The Knicks (3) and Pacers (4) meet in this year's NBA Eastern Conference Finals in a must-see renewal of one of the best rivalries in hoops.
The Knicks (3) and Pacers (4) meet in this year's NBA Eastern Conference Finals in a must-see renewal of one of the best rivalries in hoops.
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Following second-round upsets by the Knicks (3) -- who took down Eastern Conference favorite Boston in six games -- and the Pacers (4), who blew by the top-seeded Cavaliers in five games, the Eastern Conference Finals renews one of the top rivalries of the '90s.
While two decades have passed since those memorable Pacers-Knicks series featuring Reggie Miller, John Starks and Co., the current Indiana and NY rosters are plenty familiar with each other from last year's conference semifinals.
The Pacers won that series 4-3 amid a slew of injuries to the Knicks, but this year, they're slight underdogs going into a seeingly evenly matched Eastern Conference Finals.
Including the playoffs, Indiana is 23-6 since March 11, with a 15-4 regular-season finish followed by an 8-2 postseason record. The Knicks, on the other hand, went just 11-11 over their final 22 regular-season games as Jalen Brunson missed 15 games. But they showed they can not only compete with, but beat the best teams in the league in their conference semifinal battle with the reigning champion Celtics.
At full strength, will the Knicks be able to avenge last year's loss?
Or will Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers be able to stay hot and send New York packing for the second time in as many years?
ECF Series Betting Odds: Pacers vs. Knicks
Note: The Eastern Conference Finals odds below are up to date as of Wednesday, May 21.
DK FD bet365 Pacers +125 +122 +135 Knicks -145 -144 -160
Pacers-Knicks Series Spread, Total Games Odds
In addition to the series winner market, other ways to bet on how this series will play out include the Series Spread and Total Games markets.
Pacers vs. Knicks Eastern Conference Finals Series Spread Odds
You can bet on either the Pacers or Knicks to win the series by 1.5 or 2.5 games.
The winner would have to get it done in six games (4-2) to cover at -1.5, and it would need to win 4-1 (or 4-0) to cover at -2.5.
The odds below come from DraftKings:
NYK -1.5 (+150); IND +1.5 (-180)
NYK -2.5 (+265); IND +2.5 (-330)
IND -1.5 (+185); NYK +1.5 (-225)
IND -2.5 (+425); NYK +2.5 (-575)
Pacers vs. Knicks Total Games Odds
The line on how many games Pacers-Knicks will go is set at 5.5 at most sportsbooks, including DK, FD and bet365:
DraftKings: Over 5.5 (-170); Under 5.5 (+140)
FanDuel: Over 5.5 (-188); Under 5.5 (+152)
bet365: Over 5.5 (-190); Under 5.5 (+140)
Additional series markets include Game/Series Double, Exact Games and Exact Outcome. On the player props front, you can wager on the player you expect to lead a series in points, made threes, rebounds, assists and more.
Pacers vs. Knicks ECF Betting Analysis
Unlike in the Western Conference Finals, neither team in Pacers vs. Knicks appears to have a decided advantage.
The Knicks have the top scorer in the series in Brunson, and they might also boast the second-best offensive weapon on either team in Karl-Anthony Towns.
But the Pacers are as balanced and deep as any team besides the Thunder, while the Knicks have mostly stuck to a seven-man rotation.
Pacers-Knicks Regular-Season Results
Oct. 25: NYK 123, IND 98
Nov. 10: IND 132, NYK 121
Feb. 11: NYK 128, IND 115
Given how long ago those three meetings all took place, there's probably not a ton to take away from those results, besides the fact that this looks like it could be a massive series for KAT.
The big man averaged over 30 points and 12 rebounds per game in those matchups. Obviously, if Indiana bigs Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam don't find a way to keep Towns in check, it's hard to imagine the Pacers winning this series.
Ultimately, both these teams are playing too well right now for me to predict anything other than this going seven games.
Against most teams, if the game is decided in the final minutes, Brunson gives the Knicks the advantage with his late-game shotmaking. Haliburton, however, has been an excellent fourth-quarter playmaker in his own right this postseason.
IND-NYK Eastern Conference Finals Best Bets
The Pacers are too deep not to take at least a couple games from the Knicks, but assuming New York stays healthy, I'm going with the team with homecourt advantage to survive and advance to the Finals for the first time since 1999.
On the series leader front, two intriguing value plays are OG Anunoby to make the most 3-pointers and Karl-Anthony Towns to score the most points.
Series Correct Score: Knicks 4-3 (+370 at FD) -- 0.25 units
OG Anunoby Most Made Threes (+550 at DK, FD, bet365) -- 0.25 units
Karl-Anthony Towns Most Total Points (+550 at bet365) -- 0.25 units
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