Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks Prediction and Betting Tips - May 21 | 2025 NBA Playoffs, ECF Game 1

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks begins on Wednesday. Madison Square Garden is expected to be raucous for the Knicks' first conference finals since 2000, when they lost to the Pacers in six games.

The Pacers overwhelmed the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in just five games to make it to their second straight ECF. The Knicks, on the other hand, dethroned the defending champions, the Boston Celtics, in a hard-fought six-game series.

Fans can watch Game 1 of the Pacers-Knicks series on TNT and TruTV. It's also available via live stream on Max, FuboTV and NBA League Pass, which are all paid subscriptions. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST.

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Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Preview, Prediction and Betting Tips

Moneyline: Pacers (+155) vs. Knicks (-190)

Spread: Pacers +4.5 (-110) vs. Knicks -4.5 (-110)

Total (O/U): Pacers o224 (-110) vs. Knicks u224 (-110)

Note: The odds could change before tipoff.

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Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Preview

The Pacers finished the regular season as one of the best teams since the All-Star break, and it showed in the first two rounds of the playoffs. They defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the first round before dispatching the Cleveland Cavaliers in the same number of outings.

On the other hand, the Knicks had a rougher path to the Eastern Conference Finals. They were put to the test against the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 before shockingly beating the Boston Celtics in the second round. Jayson Tatum's injury in Game 4 helped, but the Knicks stealing the first two games in Boston gave them a lot of momentum.

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Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Predicted Starting Lineups

Pacers

G - Tyrese Haliburton | G - Andrew Nembhard | F - Aaron Nesmith | F - Pascal Siakam | C - Myles Turner

Knicks

G - Jalen Brunson | G - Mikal Bridges | F - Josh Hart | F - OG Anunoby | C - Karl-Anthony Towns

Note: The starting lineups could still change ahead of tipoff.

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Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Betting Tips

Jalen Brunson has an over/under of 28.5 points via FanDuel. Brunson is averaging 28.8 points per game in this year's playoffs, so bet on Brunson to hit the mark and go OVER (-106) in Game 1.

Tyrese Haliburton is currently favored to go UNDER (-132) 18.5 points via FanDuel. Haliburton is averaging just 17.5 points per game in the postseason but put up 21.3 ppg in last year's Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the Knicks.

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Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks Prediction

The Knicks are slightly favored to beat the Pacers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. MSG might be the loudest it will ever be on Wednesday, which could rattle the visitors. The prediction is a win for the Knicks, with the total going OVER 224 points.