Pacers to knock off Knicks in Game 1 of Eastern Conference Finals

• What: NBA Picks
• Who: Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks
• When: Wednesday, May 21, 8:00 p.m.

The Knicks and Pacers will resume one of the most storied rivalries in NBA history on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden. New York defeated the reigning champion Boston Celtics in 5 games to reach the Eastern Conference Finals while Indiana upset the conference-leading Cavaliers in just five games.

Who will win Game 1? Let's look at the latest betting lines for Game 1. Odds are subject to change.

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Knicks vs Pacers Betting Trends

New York is a 4.5-point favorite at Madison Square Garden where they are 3-3 in the postseason and 30-17 in the regular season and playoffs combined. Tom Thibodeau's club is 22-18-1 against the spread as a home favorite this year.

Indiana swept all three road contests against Cleveland to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in 5 games. The Pacers are 15-11 straight up as an away underdog and 16-10 against the spread.

The over/under for Wednesday's game is set at 224 points. The OVER is 24-23 in New York home dates, and 25-19-2 in Pacers road games.

KNICKS-PACERS ECF ⚔️

ANOTHER CHAPTER IN NBA HISTORY 🍿🔥 pic.twitter.com/Vzo7aL4RtJ

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 17, 2025

Brunson vs Haliburton

New York is making its Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years - a series that Patrick Ewing's club lost to Reggie Miller's Pacers.

Jalen Brunson is averaging 28.8 points and 7.3 assists per game this postseason while leading all players with 114 points in the fourth quarter. He's combined with Karl-Anthony Towns to score over 45 per cent of the Knicks points in the playoffs.

While Tom Thibodeau has been rolling with a 7-man rotation, Rick Carlisle's squad has 10 players averaging over 10 minutes per game with six different double-digit scorers.

Indiana is led by Tyrese Haliburton, who is averaging 17.5 points and 9.2 assists this postseason.

Brunson delivers again

The Knicks took the season series 2-1 over Indiana, but all those games came before the turn of the New Year. Since the calendar flipped to 2025, the Pacers have the fourth-best record in the NBA (34-14).

Averaging the second most points per game in the postseason (117.7), Rick Carlisle's club is ing the ball beautifully with a league-leading 68.9 assist percentage.

New York has the fifth-best defensive rating in the playoffs, but they may not get away with switching as much as they did versus the Celtics.

"Pacers, Knicks is the ultimate right now for fans of any generation." 🔥

an Eastern Conference Finals primer to get you ready for our showdown against the Knicks 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/2EGcO2JTj6

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 20, 2025

New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers NBA Picks

Jalen Brunson is the most clutch player in the series, but Indiana is the only team in the playoffs to collectively shoot over 50% from the floor and better than 40% from deep. With depth and history on their side, we like the Pacers to win their fifth-consecutive game on the road this postseason.

Take the Pacers to win (+157) and cover (+4.5) at MSG in Game 1 with the OVER (224).