23-05-2025
Pacers at Knicks Game 2 picks, odds, how to watch: New York tries rebuttal on Friday night
It felt appropriate to see Larry David and Susie Essman courtside on Wednesday. Their New York Knicks endured a strange and humiliating collapse of 'Curb' proportions. Amid the collective gasps and faint boos, we just about heard this theme music. The hosting Knicks try to get right and even up the Eastern Conference finals, while the Indiana Pacers pursue a surprise 2-0 series lead on the road. Game 1 was a fever dream, even for these extraordinarily chaotic playoffs. Let's see what's in store for Friday night.
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Pacers lead the series 1-0
Series odds: Pacers -150, Knicks +125
The Knicks do not have time to ruminate, though shell-shock would be understandable. Per James Edwards III of The Athletic, New York became the first team since 1998 to lose a playoff game after leading by nine or more points in the final minute. Teams in that spot were previously 1,414-0.
Yikes. Atomic yikes! Still, there was much to like across the supermajority of regulation. Jalen Brunson racked up 43 points, and an aggressive Karl-Anthony Towns added another 35. The Knicks shot better than 51 percent from the floor and had spirited runs to close out each of the first two quarters. Miles McBride had another momentous block, and Mitchell Robinson was once again dominant on the offensive glass. Despite the carnival carousel of late-game regrets that haunted them — missed free throws, Aaron Nesmith's six-trey revelation and that fateful bounce off the back iron — New York showed how it can win this series.
The Pacers seemingly couldn't miss a shot in the opening minutes, and they kept pace in The Garden even as Brunson and Towns heated up. An intrepid Tyrese Haliburton had 31 points and 11 assists to just two turnovers. The team had seven total giveaways in four quarters plus overtime. Indiana stuck to its principles throughout Game 1. It ran the floor with briskness and shot at will, while pressing and going over screens on defense.
It also pulled off the late-game sorcery that has defined its postseason run. Similar to the stunners against Milwaukee and Cleveland, these Pacers were unflappable down the stretch and fearless in the comeback. Nesmith hit six threes in the final five minutes. If that sounds unprecedented and historically ridiculous, that's because it is. Andrew Nembhard also played near-flawless ball across the final 10 or so minutes. He scored the go-ahead bucket off a brilliant backdoor cut and then delivered the decisive stop one-on-one with Brunson in OT.
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Through the first bout, these Eastern Conference finals are teasing something of an all-time classic with shades of 1990s folklore. Game 2 is a must-watch to start your three-day weekend.
2011 — Mavericks 112, Thunder 105 (OT): Shawn Marion stuffed Kevin Durant's game-winning try in regulation, then Dallas took over in overtime. Dirk Nowitzki had a 40-piece for the soon-to-be champs.
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(Photo by Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
