The Knicks managed to push this series into Game Six, but will they be able to hold on heading back to Indiana? We’ll see after a frankly bizarre Game Five; we’ll find out if the Pacers have what it takes to finish this series and head to the NBA Finals, or if we’ll witness a rare 3-1 comeback from the Knicks to make their triumphant return to the Finals themselves. We’ll see tonight with everything on the line!
Tony Bradley Out
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Game six is here, and the Pacers must be sweating a little after their game five performance. The Knicks did exactly what they needed to do by slowing down the Pacers to secure an easy win at MSG. The entire Pacers starting lineup struggled to find their rhythm from the start. Indy didn’t win a single quarter in this game, as the Knicks kept them well under control. This was one of those games where the Knicks felt like they were winning from the tip-off. I was fairly sure the Pacers would wrap it up in this game too, but now the entire landscape has changed.
The Knicks accomplished what they’ve had trouble doing all series: cutting down the pace, creating a lower-scoring game, and forcing the Pacers into more half-court offense. They managed to do all three while dominating the Pacers on the other end of the court. Brunson was able to get nearly anything he wanted, while the rest of the starters maintained high pressure too. Josh Hart, in particular, remains such an essential piece of this team even when he’s coming off the bench. He still managed to grab a double-double while torching the Pacers' defense. This looks much more like what we expected from the Knicks, and it’s given a slight glimmer of hope back to their fans.
For the Pacers, that game was alarming. The shots weren’t falling, they were missing defensive assignments, and they turned the ball over 20 times. They basically handed this game to the Knicks on a silver platter. I can’t believe they fell off so much, considering it was an elimination game. However, regaining home-court advantage, this may have just been a one-time fluke, or Carlisle can make some adjustments to bring this team back. We’ll see, though, because game five was an epic fall from grace.
This matchup will come down to pace again. Whichever team can control it longer will take this game. We’ve seen the Pacers dominate the Knicks in setting the pace. Their ability to move the ball down the court and attack in transition has been key to all of this. With the Knicks committing harder on their transition defense, they managed to limit the Pacers to only 16 fast-break points while scoring 15 themselves. The number of turnovers did help even that out, but still, the Knicks were capitalizing on every mistake the Pacers made. However, even with limited pace and fast break points, the one area where the Knicks dominated the most was points in the paint. It was 34 to 60 for points in the paint, with the Knicks nearly doubling the Pacers in game five. That will be the most important number in game six: who is scoring inside?
All in all, I’m still fairly confident that the Pacers will take this one at home. Game five seemed like an uncoordinated mess where the Knicks continued to hit everything. With home court and a few days to adjust the scheme, I think we’ll see this Pacers roster humming again. So that’s why I’m going with the Pacers moneyline, the over on the total of 219 points, and the IND spread.
Money line: NYK (+145) / IND (-175)
Total Points: 219
Spread: +4 NYK (-112) / -4 IND (-108)
Game five was just weird, the entire starting lineup for the Pacers were off. Pascal was the only guy in the starting lineup to even make it to double digits. He still fell short of this line, but I think back in Indy with the pressure up a little bit, we’ll see Pascal take over this game, and knock down some bucks.
Towns was feeling it in game five, and frankly, he’s been the Knicks’ best offensive weapon in this series. Scoring 24 points in the last game and shooting 50% from the field, Kat managed to reach this line during a relatively average game for him. The Knicks will need his scoring ability inside as he’s been one of the few options in the post when Mitchell is benched. I believe we’ll see Towns playing an enormous amount of minutes tonight unless he runs into foul trouble. However, as long as he’s on the court, I trust in his scoring ability tonight!
Turner hasn’t had the ball in his hands much during this series, but when he does, he’s either dunking it or risking a turnover. In games four and five, he recorded four turnovers and has had at least one in every game this series. He’s not typically the first player you’d think of as a turnover risk, but the way the Knicks have been defending him in the paint has affected his ball control. Betting on another tough night for Turner down low seems like a solid idea with some positive odds.
OG has been pivotal on the defensive end for the Knicks. His ability to get his hands into passing lanes and poke the ball away from a ball handler is amazing. He’s been on full display this series as he continues to rack up steals and blocks. With the line still sitting at 2.5 for his combined steals and blocks, it’s hard not to take it again considering he’s hit it 4 out of 5 games now. We’re still even getting even odds on it, which makes it even better.