Pacers vs. Knicks pick against the spread, over/under for Game 5

The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks will continue their thrilling second-round series in the 2024 NBA Playoffs Tuesday evening with Game 5 from Madison Square Garden. The home team has won each game so far in the series, making this a pivotal contest as someone looks to go up 3-2 in the matchup. The first three games in this series were extremely close, but the Knicks might finally be feeling the pinch of their thin rotation thanks to injuries after a blowout loss in Game 4. Is this the point where Indiana’s depth starts to find the edge in the matchup?

Tyrese Haliburton continues to be listed as questionable but will play. OG Anunoby remains out for New York after the hamstring injury he suffered in late in Game 2.

The Knicks are 2.5-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook with the total sitting at 216.5. New York is -135 on the moneyline while Indiana is +114.

Pacers vs. Knicks, 8 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Knicks -2.5

The Pacers exploded in Game 4 early and New York could never truly recover. The Knicks were playing well despite losing a good chunk of their rotation but this Anunoby injury might be one too many for them to overcome. New York was 26-5 in games Anunoby played this season, while going 30-29 without him. The forward was an important connector offensively while also providing some size to help the Knicks contend with Indiana’s big men.

Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo all struggled in Game 4. It’s possible the heavy burden placed on the trio is finally starting to break them but they’re not going to make excuses. The Pacers will continue to push the tempo and force the Knicks to use significant energy defensively, but will the change in venue impact officiating again as Indiana suggested it did in Games 1 and 2? Given how close the first three games were, I expect another tight encounter tonight. I think the Knicks find enough at the end to go up 3-2 in the series.

Over/Under: Over 216.5

Both games in New York went over this number by huge margins. Game 3 in Indiana barely snuck over this total while Game 4 went under thanks to the blowout nature of the contest. I think the Knicks try to slow things down a bit while the Pacers keep pushing the tempo but New York’s offense should be better than it was in Sunday’s disaster. I’ll take the over to hit on this total.