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Newsweek
an hour ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Best Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6 Player Props, ATS Bets: Can NY Force Game 7?
The Knicks are 4-point road underdogs vs. the Pacers on Saturday night as they look to force a Game 7 at MSG on Monday. The Knicks are 4-point road underdogs vs. the Pacers on Saturday night as they look to force a Game 7 at MSG on Monday. Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In just about any series besides the ongoing Eastern Conference Finals battle between the Knicks and Pacers, the jarring contrast between Games 4 and 5 would have shocked even the most plugged-in NBA fans and bettors. But in a matchup in which the road underdog (Indy in Games 1 and 2 and New York in Game 3) won the first three games of the series, with Games 1 and 3 both featuring 20-point comebacks, of course Game 5 was a curveball. Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6 Betting Odds DK FD bet365 NYK spread +4 (-110) +4 (-110) +4 (-110) IND spread -4 (-110) -4 (-110) -4 (-110) NYK ML +145 +152 +150 IND ML -175 -180 -180 Total 221.5 (o-110; u-110) 221 (o-110; u-110) 221.5 (o-110; u-110) The Knicks looked helpless to stop Tyrese Haliburton and Co. in Game 4 last Tuesday night, but they turned in their best defensive effort of the playoffs two nights later in Game 5 to keep the series alive. After allowing Indiana to rack up 130 points on 51 percent FG shooting and an offensive rating of 126.8 in Game 4, New York stifled the Pacers at MSG two nights later. Indiana finished Game 5 with just 94 points on 40.5 FG shooting, with 20 turnovers and an offensive rating of just 95.4. Outside of heavy workloads for Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, it's hard to pinpoint what to expect tonight. That won't stop us from giving out our favorite Knicks vs. Pacers player props and best bets for tonight's game, though. How to Watch Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6 Tipoff: 8 p.m. ET Channel: TNT/truTV/Max Knicks vs. Pacers Eastern Conference Finals Series Odds DraftKings : NYK +290; IND -360 FanDuel : NYK +290; IND -360 bet365 : NYK +270; IND -340 Best Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6 Player Props This is the rare case where it makes sense to deviate from our stance on obvious prop plays, which is that they're usually not the way to go. Given how unlikely it is that Indiana is suddenly going to unearth an answer for either Jalen Brunson or Karl-Anthony Towns, though (besides getting them in foul trouble and off the court), we like them both to have big nights, again, in Game 6. Jalen Brunson Over 31.5 Points (-102 at FanDuel) -- 1 unit Brunson's raw numbers this postseason are the first sign that this is the rare instance where taking a player at even money to score 32 points is justifiable. He's averaging 33 points in this series, with 31 or more in four of five. This posteason, in 17 games, he's scored 30 or more points 10 times, and that's despite Boston holding him under 30 points in five of six games in that series. More importantly, Brunson has been able to beat whoever the Pacers have thrown at him, and top wing defender Aaron Nesmith's coming off a concerning showing for Indy. After appearing to sprain his ankle late in Game 3, Nesmith was effective on both ends of the court in Game 4 (16 points in 32 minutes), but he didn't look like himself in Game 5, as he played just 16 minutes -- well below his postseason average of 29.5 minutes per game. Looking at his efficiency, Brunson has shot at least 48 percent from the field in four of five games in this series, his usage rate has stayed above 30 percent in all but Game 5, and his true shooting and effective field goal percentages have both been consistently jaw-dropping. Unless he quickly gets in substantial foul trouble and/or tonight's game is played at a snail's pace, Brunson should be able to cash this ambitious points prop. Karl-Anthony Towns Over 34.5 Pts + Rebs (+100 at FD) -- 1 unit The question for prop bettors eyeing Towns tonight is whether to take his points, rebounds, or points + rebounds (P+R) prop. There's a strong case that the right answer is "D) all of the above," but we're going to stick with just one here. For a guy who has averaged 37.2 P+R per game in this series, the most value lies in taking Towns at even money to reach 35 P+R. Despite dealing with foul trouble in almost every game of this series, Towns has been able to bully the Pacers' bigs as both a scorer and a rebounder. And remember, he also averaged over 30 points per game and 12 rebounds per game in three regular-season Knicks vs. Pacers matchups. I expect more of the same tonight from Towns as he looks to keep the Knicks' season alive. He cleared this line in Game 5 despite going 1-for-4 from 3 and making a series-low 3 free throws on a series-low 5 free-throw attempts (he's averaging 6 made FT on 7.4 FTA in the series). Also worth noting: he had 17 points and 10 rebounds at halftime on Thursday night, but he committed three fouls in the third quarter, which forced him to the bench for more than half of that frame. We won't jinx this by calling it a slam-dunk, but there are a lot of reasons to trust Towns to reach this number, especially if he somehow manages to avoid foul trouble. Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6 Pick, Best Bets Nothing would shock me in this game, which is a stay-away in a lot of ways given how up-and-down both these teams have been throughout the ECF. But between how well the Knicks defended the Pacers in Game 5 and how few answers Indiana has come up with for Brunson and Towns, I'm going with New York to force a Game 7 in a series that has felt destined to go the distance since it got underway last week. In addition to New York to cover, let's also go with Indiana to get an early spark from its home crowd and cover the tight first-quarter spread. Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6 Best Bets: Knicks +4 (-110 at FanDuel) -- 0.5 units Pacers 1Q -1.5 (-106 at FD) -- 0.5 units Newsweek may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up through the links in this article. See the sportsbook operator's terms and conditions for important details. Sports betting operators have no influence over newsroom coverage.
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Celtics' Jayson Tatum Still Receiving Major Criticism Despite Achilles Injury
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Boston Celtics star forward Jayson Tatum is one of the best players in the NBA today. Yet for some reason, he gets an overwhelming amount of criticism from both fans and media members. More NBA news: Lakers' Luka Doncic to Join LeBron James, Steve Nash on Podcast Tatum has helped the Celtics get to two NBA Finals, winning one of them, and he has come up big for his team countless times in the playoffs. Star players also will receive criticism, but with Tatum, it feels a little different at times. One of his bigger critics is FS1 analyst Colin Cowherd, who has gone after him multiple times in the past. Cowherd recently weighed in on Tatum again, questioning the Celtics star in comparison to Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Cowherd said that everything people say Tatum does, Gilgeous-Alexander does better and with more consistency. "The many things I like about SGA [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] is that he is delivering and fulfilling everything I've been told Jayson Tatum does," said Cowherd. "Last year, the Celtics go on their championship run, Jaylen Brown is the MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals and the Finals MVP, and Jaylen Brown is often the aggressor and the initiator. SGA wants the ball and is always the aggressor and he has multiple great players around him, but he is clearly the alpha, and that's all I ever ask with Tatum and got push back. I'm holding Jayson Tatum to the standard you guys all lectured me on with years on LeBron [James]." "He is delivering and fulfilling everything I've been told Jayson Tatum does."@ColinCowherd discusses what sets SGA apart from other NBA star players. — Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 29, 2025 Tatum suffered a brutal Achilles injury in the playoffs this year, and yet he is still being talked about. The idea that Tatum is being held to the same standard as LeBron James, who is widely seen as one of the Greatest of All Time, shows exactly how good he is. More NBA news: Top 5 Landing Spots For Kevin Durant Amid Trade Rumors The biggest criticism against Tatum is that he hasn't performed overly well in the NBA Finals once the Celtics have gotten there. Co-star Jaylen Brown took over last year and ended up winning the NBA Finals MVP. Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics dribbles against the New York Knicks during the third quarter in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 10,... Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics dribbles against the New York Knicks during the third quarter in Game Three of the Eastern Conference Second Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 10, 2025 in New York City. More Photo byBut Tatum is still the leader of the Celtics team, even with this. Before the Achilles injury this year, Tatum was stellar in the playoffs, averaging 28.1 points per game, 11.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.1 steals. The Celtics are very happy to have Tatum on the roster, and he will continue to be the face of the franchise for many years following his Achilles recovery. More NBA news: Lakers Listed as Potential Landing Spot For All-Star Center Giannis Antetokounmpo Trade Proposal Takes Wild New Turn For more on the Celtics and general NBA news, head on over to Newsweek Sports.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Pacers vs. Knicks Eastern Conference Finals Game 6: How to watch online, live stream info, game time, TV channel
Pacers vs. Knicks Eastern Conference Finals Game 6: How to watch online, live stream info, game time, TV channel The Indiana Pacers (50-32) will host Mikal Bridges and the New York Knicks (51-31) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, May 31. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET. The Knicks will look for another victory over the Pacers after a 111-94 win in their matchup on Thursday. Jalen Brunson's team-high 32 points led the Knicks to the win. Bennedict Mathurin had 23 points for the Pacers. NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Watch the NBA on Fubo! Pacers vs. Knicks game info Game day: Saturday, May 31, 2025 Saturday, May 31, 2025 Game time: 8 p.m. ET 8 p.m. ET Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana Arena: Gainbridge Fieldhouse Gainbridge Fieldhouse TV channel: TNT, truTV, MAX TNT, truTV, MAX Live stream: Sling (Watch Now!) Sling (Watch Now!) NBA League Pass: The most live games plus NBA TV. Sign up today Watch the NBA on NBA League Pass! Pacers vs. Knicks betting info
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Knicks vs. Pacers Game 6: Tyrese Haliburton said there's 'no need to panic' — but did New York figure something out?
INDIANAPOLIS — Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers are now feeling the passion of the Knicks' praise. (He'd probably prefer a nice note, or an Edible Arrangement, or something.) For the first time in the 2025 Eastern Conference finals, New York took a page out of Indiana's book in Game 5, applying defensive pressure on the opponent's All-NBA ball-handler in the backcourt rather than allowing him to bring the ball up the floor unabated and get the Pacers into their offense: The tactical adjustment by Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau didn't shock Haliburton, who's seen more than his fair share of 94-foot defensive affection from opposing defenses throughout his rise to stardom in Indiana — especially given the elevated stakes at which these two teams are playing, with a berth in the 2025 NBA Finals on the line. Advertisement 'I mean, we're up 3-1. Their season's on the line,' Haliburton said after the Knicks' 111-94 win in Game 5 to extend this series, forcing a Game 6 back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night. 'So we understand they're going to come out and play hard, increase their pressure, and do whatever they've got to do to win. They did a great job of that, and now it's on us to respond in Game 6.' How the Pacers — and Haliburton specifically — respond will likely determine whether Indiana clinches its first NBA Finals berth since 2000, or finds itself once again boarding a plane bound for New York to face Game 7 at Madison Square Garden come Monday. Games 4 and 5 offered a pretty perfect snapshot of the yin and yang of Haliburton's game. On one night, he's flawless, overwhelming, all-consuming, suffusing every Pacer possession with electricity and efficiency. He injects the energy into the game, making monster waves and then surfing atop them as they crash over a helpless defense. And on the next, because of the unerring purity of his offensive approach — 'You know, he's a point guard by nature,' head coach Rick Carlisle said before Game 3, 'a classic point guard by nature, a guy running a team' — Haliburton can find himself getting swept away with the tide. 'Yeah, rough night for me,' said Haliburton, who finished with just eight points (his second-fewest of the postseason, and his 13th single-digit game of the season) on just seven field goal attempts (just the fifth time all season he's taken so few). 'I gotta be better setting the tone, getting downhill. I feel like I didn't do a good job of that.' Advertisement The numbers back up Haliburton's self-assessment. After averaging nearly 11 drives to the basket per game during the regular season, more than 11 per game through the first two rounds of the playoffs, and 13 a game through the first four games against New York, he logged only nine in Game 5, leading to just two baskets, one drawn foul and zero assists. 'Sometimes, it was probably a combination of him missing some shots he normally makes,' Thibodeau said after the game. 'But I thought our guys were tied together, trying to make him work for everything. That's what you have to do. We have to fight to win every possession.' A lot of the credit for Haliburton's quieter performance belongs to Mikal Bridges. The Knicks swingman turned in his strongest defensive game of the series with precisely that kind of fight-to-win-every-possession approach, deploying both his length and seemingly limitless gas tank to shadow Haliburton the full length and width of the court with more physicality, intention and presence than he'd managed through the first four games. 'Mikal did a great job,' Knicks forward Josh Hart said. 'We're asking a lot from 'Kal. He's picking him up, running around with him. Tyrese is someone who never really stops moving. He'll bring the ball down, he'll hit, he'll run off of it, he'll get the [ball] back, he'll throw it back to the big, he'll run back. 'Kal did a great job today trying to be physical, trying to be on his body and not give him anything easy.' Advertisement Combine that with more attentive positioning by big men Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns, loading into the gaps to stop the ball and prevent Haliburton from consistently touching the paint, and better communication behind the play by New York's help defenders, and you've got a recipe for throwing a little bit of sand in the gears of what's largely been a smoothly humming Pacers offensive machine: Part of the problem stemmed from the Knicks' evolving understanding of the logic by which the Pacers' particular machine operates. As soon as Haliburton saw Bridges picking him up full-court, he did what his classic, natural, pure point guard brain understood to be the next right thing, the proper prescribed play: getting off the ball early and trying to leverage Bridges' one-on-one face-guarding coverage by moving out of the play, creating the opp for his teammates to attack 4-on-4. Advertisement It's a strategy the Pacers have employed for the past couple of seasons when teams have tried to get in Haliburton's kitchen like this, including in Round 2 against the Cavaliers; it's one of the reasons why Andrew Nembhard, Haliburton's backcourt partner, is finishing nearly nine possessions per game in this postseason as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, according to Synergy Sports. It's something that Indiana knows full well how to attack and exploit. Or, at least, that it does most of the time. In this specific matchup, and at this specific stage of it, pulling the right levers might be a little trickier. See, three games ago, the Knicks changed their starting lineup, moving Hart — Nembhard's primary defender in Games 1 and 2 — to the bench and Robinson into the first five. That decision shook a lot of things up: With Robinson slotting in against Pacers center Myles Turner, Towns bumped down to power forward and slid over to defend opposing 4 Pascal Siakam … which, in turn, slid Siakam's man, OG Anunoby, over to Nembhard. In Games 1 and 2, Nembhard averaged 13.5 points and three assists per game on 61.1% shooting. Since the shift? Just six points per game on 5-for-26 shooting (19.2%) and 2.3 helpers a night. Turns out it might be tougher to run offense through your secondary ball-handler when he's guarded by a 6-foot-7, 235-pound All-Defensive Team-caliber stopper — especially one who's perfectly comfortable switching onto Turner if you want to run some 2-5 pick-and-roll, and whose multipositional flexibility makes him an ideal choice to scram-switch any teammate (including the frequently targeted Jalen Brunson) out of a potentially damaging matchup created out of that 4-on-4 realignment. Advertisement With Bridges' pressure and Haliburton's response to relieve it minimizing the effectiveness of Plan A, and Anunoby-on-Nembhard effectively scuttling its Plan B, the Pacers were left to try to scrounge up points elsewhere. Sometimes, they were successful: a Siakam turnaround fadeaway over Towns; a T.J. McConnell pull-up 3; a tough driving runner by Turner; Bennedict Mathurin creating in isolation on his way to a team-high 23 points. You have to live with something, though, and the Knicks would much rather live with Obi Toppin and Jarace Walker trying to create one-on-one than Haliburton manipulating the chessboard. When everybody else has to try to make plays, you can get outcomes like 40.5% shooting for the best-shooting team in the playoffs, and just 20 assists against 20 turnovers — both the Pacers' worst showings of the postseason. That's clearly not the game script that Carlisle wants. The challenge ahead of Game 6? Writing another one. One that can find fresh weaknesses in the Knicks' shifted approach, and maybe a way to restore Nembhard's auxiliary function despite the Anunoby matchup. One that can get Siakam (15 points on 5-for-13 shots in Game 5) back to the kind of game-plan-wrecking monster he was in Game 2 — and, ideally, get the Pacers back to Plan A: Haliburton conducting the symphony. Advertisement 'As a team, we have to be aggressive, and we have to have a level of balance,' Carlisle said after Game 5. 'I mean, I'll look at it. There's more things I'm going to have to do to help him, and so, I'll take responsibility for that and we'll see where we can improve.' The Knicks will have to be ready for those improvements: for changes in tempo, in angle of attack and, perhaps most importantly, in sheer physical force. To whatever degree Indiana let off the gas in Game 5, knowing that it had two more chances to sew this series up, you can bet that the pedal will once again be mashed firmly to the floor in Game 6. The Knicks are playing for their lives; if they want the Pacers to join them, they'll have to not just replicate that defensive effort, but crank it up even further. Advertisement 'We have to, you know? I mean, we have to,' Towns said after Game 5. 'We have no more room for error. Our backs are against the wall, and every game is do or die. So if we don't bring that energy, if we don't bring that execution, our season will be over.' The Knicks' counterpunch kept them alive. Haliburton exited Game 5, though, confident in his team's ability to parry, and punch its ticket to Oklahoma City. 'After a game like that, we understand what the stakes are, and we understand the conversation, what it will be around our group,' Haliburton said. 'But we're fine. We're fine. There's no need to panic or anything. … I think the great part about this group and our staff is, everybody's addicted to film study and figuring out where we can get better. Coach Carlisle's a savant at that stuff. After a game like that, I know he's gonna be all over the film, I'm gonna be all over the film, and we'll be talking a lot.'
Indianapolis Star
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Pacers Andrew Nembhard, Myles Turner struggling against Knicks' lineup change
NEW YORK — Andrew Nembhard was asked how the Eastern Conference Finals have changed for him personally since the Knicks switched their lineups and rotations in Game 3 to go bigger in the starting five and deeper into the bench than they've done in these playoffs and most of this season. 'I'm just gonna keep that to myself,' Nembhard said. It's more than understandable that he'd rather not discuss it because the changing of the matchups has clearly made his life significantly more difficult. In Games 1 and 2 in the series, Nembhard scored a combined 27 points (13.5 per game) on 11 of 18 shooting (61.1%) including 4 of 5 from 3-point range. In the last three games he has just 18 points total (6.0 per game) on 5 of 26 shooting (19.2%) including 1 of 6 from 3. The Knicks made changes to improve defensively. Though the Pacers scored a playoff-high 130 points in Game 4, they scored just 100 in Game 3 and 94 in Game 5, their two lowest figures in these playoffs. The big change was to put center Mitchell Robinson in the starting lineup and move wing Josh Hart to the bench. Though Hart is one of the Knicks' three top wing defenders along with Mikal Bridges and O.G. Anunoby, they needed better rim protection to take away some of the Pacers' paint scoring opportunities and also a center more suited to switch on to ball-handlers on the pick and roll. Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the league's top scoring and rebounding centers but defense is not his strongest suit. He scores too much to move to the bench, but Robinson's presence covers more bases. That move led to shifts in other matchups. Anunoby, one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA, was primarily taking on Pacers All-Star power forward Pascal Siakam to start the series . The Knicks have instead used Robinson and Towns to guard him, trying to combat his skill and elusiveness with size. They could have used Jalen Brunson on Nembhard, but instead, they've put Brunson on Aaron Nesmith and Nembhard has been dealing with the 6-7 Anunoby at the start of games and often times the 6-4 Hart later. It puts Nesmith in a bit more advantageous matchup, but he's been battling through a sprained ankle and hasn't been as explosive. Meanwhile having Anunoby on Nembhard and Bridges on Tyrese Haliburton means the Knicks have ace defenders on the two players who most frequently initiate offense and that's made it difficult to get anything started. Nembhard has also seen his life get more difficult because the Knicks have been more willing to dig into their bench. Guards Landry Shamet and Delon Wright barely played in the playoffs before Game 3 of this series. Wright had just four minutes in the entire playoffs before that point. However, coach Tom Thibodeau has called on them to play double-figure minutes in each of the last three games. Nembhard has had to deal with both players as defenders which has meant guards with fresh legs when Anunoby has been off the floor. The defensive shift has been tough on Nembhard and it's been tough on Myles Turner as well as Turner has frequently had to deal with Mitchell Robinson directly. Turner only took three shots in Game 5. Two of them came when Robinson was off the floor and he was being defended by Towns. The first, an early 3-pointer, came when Robinson dipped deep down toward the paint to try to cut off a drive by Haliburton and Turner stayed back at the 3-point line and hit from 3. He finished 2 of 3 from the field for five points. Turner's shooting numbers weren't as dramatically different in Games 3 and 4 as compared to Games 1 and 2. He averaged 15.5 points per game in the first four games. He did struggle from the 3-point arc, however, he's now 5 of 19 from beyond the arc for the series and he's struggled on the glass, averaging just 3.4 rebounds per game and not grabbing more than five in any of the games. Nembhard and Turner are both critical to Haliburton's success as Nembhard is the secondary ball-handler who allows Haliburton to run around without the ball and Turner is his best ball screen partner. As the Pacers try to adjust and get past the Knicks into their first Finals since 2000 and the second in history, they'll be looking to get both more involved.
