NBA: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Preview, Odds, Prediction

The rivalry between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks needs no introduction. We all know what Spike Lee and Reggie Miller did during the 90s. The Pacers are in the middle of a very nasty schedule but are showing signs of significant improvement, while on the other side, the Knicks slowed down following a wonderful start. Monday’s matchup is important because both of these teams aim to reach the postseason, and given their quality, it might become quite possible to see them leveled at the end of the regular season with the tiebreaker deciding about the order in the standings.

Preview

Indiana Pacers (6-8, +120) come with high morale to Madison Square Garden to meet the Knicks. The Pacers have two wins in a row, posting three victories in four matches, in which they defeated the Kings, Jazz (both on the road), and in the latest one, the 76ers at home.

After a very disappointing start, Rick Carlisle’s guys are slowly catching the rhythm, showing a solid improvement in all areas on the floor. Against the 76ers, Indiana won 118-113, with Justin Holiday leading the way with 27 points, missing only two of his 11 shots from the field. We need to add that the small forward entered off the bench to score six threes in 28 minutes.

Domantas Sabonis was, as usual, superb under the rim with 18 points and 12 boards, 8-for-11 from the floor, while Myles Tarner had 20 buckets and six blocks. The former Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon scored 13 points with 10 boards and assists each, delivering a triple-double.

New York Knicks (7-6, -145) have back-to-back losses with three losses in four events, two of them at home. In general, the Knicks haven’t won in Madison in the previous three contests, which is somewhat frustrating for their fans, who were pretty pumped up following the first few opening events.

In the past two losses, against the Bucks at home, 112-100, and the Hornets on the road, 104-96, the offense was the critical part of the team, and Tom Thibodeau’s guys couldn’t deliver properly in the final moments of the event.

The game against the Hornets opened beautifully for the Knicks, who won the first period, 34-18, but after that disappeared over the next three periods. NY shot 38.7% from the floor and 37.1% from the three-point territory. Also, they allowed the hosts to score 58 points from the paint. Kemba with 26 points, and Alec Burks with 15 were the only bright spots in the Knicks’ team.

Head to Head Games

This is the second game of the year between these two sides, and the first one saw the Pacers triumphing at home, 111-98. RJ Barrett had 23 points for the home Knicks and Randle added 18 with 14 boards. Turner scored 25 and grabbed 13 boards for the hosts, with seven hit threes, LeVert dropped 21.

Prediction

Many see the Knicks as the favorites and as the winners here, but to be perfectly straight with you, our pick is the Pacers, who are slowly gaining momentum. The pressure on the Knicks is rising, and if there is one thing we know about Kemba and Randle, they don’t like such situations. Therefore, go bravely, pick the Pacers.

Pick: Pacers