If you’re an old-school 1990s NBA fan, then we have the perfect series for you. The Knicks and Pacers faced each other 6 times in the NBA playoffs in a span of just 7 years during the 1990s and they’ll renew their rivalry on Monday night as the Eastern Conference semifinals get underway at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is at 7:30 pm ET on TNT and I’ve come up with a Pacers vs Knicks Same Game Parlay to add even more excitement to this matchup. You can also check out our NBA picks for tonight’s games, but for now, let’s get into our SGP.
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Both the Knicks and Pacers advanced from the first round after 6 games, setting up only their 3rd postseason matchup since the turn of the century. Game 1 will be a feel-out game for both sides, and really it could go either way depending on how the 2 teams settle in after the initial jitters go away. Experience-wise, the Knicks have a slight edge, having been in this situation last year and ultimately lost to Miami in 6 games. This is uncharted territory for Indiana, but I do expect them to put up a fight and push the series to 6 or even 7 games.
As we saw in the Minnesota vs Denver series, Game 1 is usually the best chance the road underdog has of surprising the home team and I think that’ll be the case here as well. The Knicks have already lost once at home in the postseason, plus all but one of their games against Philadelphia were decided by 7 points or fewer. I don’t think a blowout is on the cards in the series opener, so a close game would favor the road team from a betting standpoint. I’ll take Indiana to cover.
Find out our expert’s best NBA player prop bets for tonight’s games, including targeting Pascal Siakam in this matchup
Hart played a vital role for the Knicks against Philadelphia in the first round, averaging a staggering 46.3 minutes per game and filling up the box scores every time. Whenever you have a player logging so many minutes, his numbers will be good just on a playing time basis alone. He averaged 4.5 assists in those 6 games, but he did clear this line in the last 3 games, including 7 dimes in the series-clinching Game 6 victory. The Knicks were able to rely on Brunson to do most of the heavy lifting both in the scoring and assists departments, but long term I’m not sure if that’s sustainable. Look for Hart to assert himself as his energy levels are always through the roof, especially when he plays at Madison Square Garden.
We also have a Timberwolves vs Nuggets Same Game Parlay at +993 odds for tonight’s other playoff matchup
The current run that Jalen Brunson is on reminds me the most of Allen Iverson’s 2001 run, when he single-handedly led the Philadelphia 76ers to an NBA Finals berth. Coincidentally, Brunson just eliminated Iverson’s old team in the first round, averaging 35.5 points per game as a volume shooter with not-so-impressive efficiency, just like Iverson did. He finished the series with 3 straight 40+ point performances, becoming the first Knick to do so since Bernard King 40 years ago and the first NBA player since Michael Jordan in 1989 against Cleveland. Playing a fast-paced Indiana team should allow Brunson to put up big numbers in this series as well, as he dominated the Pacers during the regular season, averaging 35.7 points per game on almost 50% shooting from the field. After a grueling 6-game series against Philly, we’re not sure what his energy levels will look like in Game 1, so let’s go with a slightly safer approach and back him to drop 30 in the series opener.
Myles Turner could be the x-factor in this series for Indiana. He is a matchup nightmare for most NBA teams, especially those who have not-so-agile big men defenders like the Knicks do. Both Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein are 7-footers and they’re not capable of going from the paint to the perimeter and vice-versa very fast, Turner will look to exploit that on a regular basis here. He enjoyed a very productive regular-season series against New York, averaging 18.7 points per game in just 28.7 minutes per game while shooting an insane 80% from three. Against Milwaukee in the first round, he averaged 19.2 points as his minutes increased to 33.3 per game while his three-point efficiency remained the same at around 44%. Let’s hope he can open the series with a solid performance from the perimeter here.
