Pacers vs Knicks Free Pick, NBA Free Picks, NBA Predictions 5/29/25
- J.A. Cavalier
- May 29, 2025
- 3 min read
INDIANA @ NEW YORK (NYK -4.5, 222.5)
NBA ODDS, NBA PREDICTIONS, NBA PREVIEWS
PACERS @ KNICKS 5/29/25
The Indiana Pacers have advanced to the verge of their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000 under Tyrese Haliburton's leadership. Haliburton, who had a historic individual performance in Game 4, is intent on making a spectacular exit from the Eastern Conference finals when the Pacers play the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden tonight.
Haliburton recorded the first-ever 30-15-10-0 stat line in NBA postseason history with his historic performance of 32 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds without a turnover. He also had four steals and five three-pointers in the 130-121 victory at home.
With a commanding 65-23 lead in fast-break points in the series, fourth-seeded Indiana is finding that Haliburton's tendency to run the floor is a huge advantage.
New York’s only victory came in Game 3, when the third-seeded Knicks overcame a 20-point deficit to win. Karl-Anthony Towns led the comeback with 20 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. Due to a left knee injury, the Knicks listed Towns as questionable and will be closely monitoring him in Game 5.
Towns has injured the knee in each of the last two games. The big man was in excruciating pain after a late-game collision with Aaron Nesmith of Indiana in Game 4. He was hobbling at the end after briefly leaving the game.
When asked about the team's 3-1 series deficit, Towns is fairly certain, despite questions about his health. Towns, and the rest of the Knicks, must slow down the Pacers offense. The Knicks have also struggled with turnovers that result in easy transition points. During the series, they have committed 60 turnovers, or 15 per game on average. One bright spot has been New York’s Jalen Brunson, who has topped 30 three times and is averaging 33.3 points in the series.
With two 30-point performances, including 30 in Tuesday's victory, Pascal Siakam has been an excellent sidekick for Haliburton for Indiana. However, Bennedict Mathurin, who scored 20 points in just over 12 minutes off the bench on Tuesday, was a surprising standout. For the first three games of the series, Mathurin only averaged 3.7 points per game. He stated that he has been focusing on the current task rather than his statistics.
Nesmith is once more listed as questionable after spraining his right ankle in Game 3. He scored 16 points and was cleared just over an hour before Game 4 started.
As they try to finish the series in the fervent New York atmosphere, Indiana has also won six straight road playoff games. The Pacers also covered each of those games making them 6-0 ATS in their last 6 on the road. Indiana is 8-4 SU in the last 12 against New York and they are 6-3 ATS in the last nine.
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Coach Rick FREE PICKS:
KARL-ANTHONY TOWN 20+ PTS/10+ REBS PARLAY
Is there really any question whether or not Towns plays? He has to and he has to have a big night for the Knicks to stay alive. The betting markets think that is likely. His points prop is set at 21.5 and Towns is averaging nearly 26 points per game in the series and has scored 20 or more in all four games. He’s also had a hot hand hitting 52 percent from the floor, including 45.5 percent from three. On the glass, he’s averaging 11.5 rebounds a game in the series. He’s had at least 12 in 3 of the 4 games thus far and has recorded at least 10 in 8 of his last 10 games. Hurt or not, Towns powers through and records another double-double. That gives us the opportunity for a nice plus-money SGP!
