Bet the Knicks moneyline at home in Game 5 vs Pacers

Through four games in this Eastern Conference semifinals matchup between the Pacers and Knicks, the home team has won every time. New York hosts Game 5 as two point favorites with recent momentum on Indiana’s side. I’m picking the Knicks moneyline on FanDuel (-130) despite an uphill battle awaiting them.

New York’s lack of depth has been a major cause of concern all series. After losing OG Anunoby in Game 2, the Knicks were down to just five rotational players who contributed in round one. That lack of depth caught up to them in their losses at Indiana.

After playing three rightly contested games to start the series, the Knicks were blown out by 32 points in Game 4. Alec Burks (who didn’t play in round one) was their leading scorer. Josh Hart (12.3 rebounds per game this postseason) only had two boards.

Most concerningly, Jalen brunson was 0-5 from deep and just 6-17 overall from the field. He was a -27 and had his worst game of the playoffs. Brunson, Hart, and Donte DiVincenzo (-40 and 3-13 from the field in Game 4) need to be phenomenal in Game 5.

The inverse is true of the Pacers, whose superstar Tyrese Haliburton has played better the last three games than he had all postseason before hand. His shooting has rebounded nice, and he’s doing a great job getting others involved.

Another area benefiting the Pacers is rebounding. New York battered Philadelphia in round one on the glass, but have been much less effective (especially at defensive rebounding) against Indiana, who have been getting great contributions from a ton of players.

As great as the Pacers have been overall offensively, their defense has been better than I anticipated it being. With the Knicks players running lower and lower on gas each game, the door continues opening for the Pacers to have better defensive outings.

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Losing two straight road games while having little reliable depth is as demoralizing as it gets. That’s why this road game couldn’t have come at a better time for the Knicks. If there’s ever a time for them to come out guns ablazing at their best, it’s at the start of this game.

The Pacers will need to weather the early storm, which I think they’ll be able to. As the game goes on, fatigue will set in for the Knicks which will give the Pacers more than enough chances to capitalize and tighten the game.

Home court advantage is especially helpful in an arena like Madison Square Garden. Brunson should absolutely bounce back in front of the Knicks faithful, as he plays his best under the bright lights and high pressure moments. All this can lead to a Knicks victory.

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