Drama, drama, drama. The NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals series kicked off with a bombastic start with a game that will be remembered forever by these franchises. Game Two tonight. Let’s. Talk. Hoops.
Game Information
- Madison Square Garden – New York, NY
- #4 Indiana Pacers visit #3 New York Knicks
- Previous Matchup: IND 138-135, May 21st, 2025
- IND leads series at 1-0
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Brunson scored 43 points in the OT loss. He was a -8 in a game they lost by just 3.
Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks
Expect a chippy game tonight because Indiana should come into this one with a braggadocio that will annoy the Knicks’ faithful. The Knicks will need come into this one angry at themselves, at the Pacers, at the world, and they should use that to fuel their fire. They’ll need some motivation because they played well last game and still lost in brutal fashion. They played so well scoring that they got caught up in exchanging baskets. The Knicks need to insert their style of play and not play at the pace Indiana wants.
over the last 27 postseasons, teams were 0-970 when they trailed by 14 or more points in the final 2:50 of regulation.
that’s now 1-970. pic.twitter.com/69PbNImq1H
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 22, 2025
Most made FGs to tie/take the lead in the last 90 seconds of the 4th/OT in one playoffs (since 1997):
Tyrese Haliburton – 5 this year
LeBron James – 5 in 2018
Kevin Durant – 5 in 2012
Dirk Nowitzki – 5 in 2011
Ray Allen – 5 in 2009
Ben Gordon – 5 in 2009
John Stockton – 5 in 1997 https://t.co/SsrUSrUMMw— Keerthika Uthayakumar (@keerthikau) May 22, 2025
Pascal was integral to the win doing whatever his team needed. 17pts / 5 rebs / 6 asts / 2 stls
NBA Game Analysis
The visitors don’t really need to change much. They came into Madison Square Garden and they played Pacer basketball. That means you push off a make or a miss and you do not stop playing until the clock is all zeroes. It has worked out for them stupendously the last two seasons. They won the fast break battle, turnover battle, shoot better, and assisted more than the Knicks.
One pleasant surprise for Indiana was their offensive rebounding. It is not something they emphasize at all. During the regular season they were 30th in second chance points and 29th in offensive rebounding %. And yet, they had 11 offensive rebounds in Game One. I don’t know what this means in the grand scheme of things but this is a big problem for New York.
Tom Thibodeau needs to make big adjustments tonight. Jalen Brunson is the best isolation and half court player on the floor. If you turn this game into a half court slugfest you’ve given yourself a chance because Jalen Brunson wears your jersey. The Knicks path to victory, undoubtedly, includes not allowing the Pacers to play their style. Easier said than done.
Furthermore, take care of the basketball Knickerbockers. Brunson and company had 15 turnovers to Indiana’s 7. However, the more contentious point is the fact that the Pacers conceded only 4 points off their meager amount of turnovers. Conversely, New York conceded 27 points off their turnovers in a game they lost by three in overtime.
Key Outlier.Bet Insights
- Andrew Nembhard has exceeded 16.5 points + assists in 5 straight games on the road. He holds 24.0 points + assists per game averages outside Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
- Myles Turner has failed to exceed 1.5 three pointers in 6 of his last 7 games on the road. He was operating mostly in the midrange last game too.
- Karl-Anthony Towns has failed to exceed 1.5 three pointers in 8 of his last 9 games vs. top 10 defences for threes allowed. However, KAT was 4-8 last game from distance looking confident. He may have broken out of his shooting slump.
NBA Best Bet: Tyrese Haliburton o24.5 Points & Rebounds (-115)
Tyrese Haliburton has exceeded 24.5 points & rebounds in 5 straight games on the road. Impressively, Hali-wagon averages 30.0 points & rebounds per game when on the road.
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Bonus for Peepin’ the Scribbles: IND Pacers o109.5 Team Total (-115) & TJ McConnell 3+ Rebounds (+100)
Took them last game and it hit so I wagered a unit on it again! Simple.
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