The Eastern Conference Semifinals return to Madison Square Garden in New York for Game 5 between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers, with the series evenly balanced at 2-2. The Indiana Pacers tied the series with a blowout performance in Indianapolis when they flew off the blocks and completely dominated the Knicks, leading by as much as 20 points in the first quarter. The Knicks remain slight favorites on the money line due to their home-court advantage, but the confident Pacers will continue to execute their game plan of physically dominating the tired and injury-reduced New Yorkers.
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Basketball: NBA Playoffs, Eastern Conference Semifinal Game 5
Where to Watch: TNT
Venue: Madison Square Garden, NY
Date: 15.05.2024. 03:00
New York Knicks
The New York Knicks are in a dire situation after their demoralizing loss in Indiana. They either need to win here or face the prospect of returning to Indianapolis, one defeat away from elimination. Jalen Brunson has been the key to the Knicks' success, but fatigue and a sore foot seem to be limiting his performance as he struggled offensively, shooting only 6-of-17 as the Knicks continue to struggle without O.G. Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks' supporting cast, particularly Alec Burks and Miles McBride, who scored in Game 4, need to continue stepping up. Defensively, the Knicks must find a way to contain the Pacers' attack and limit their three-point shooting. That said, the New York crowd must do their best to help the second-ranked Knicks kick on in this series.
His ascension to what he's become as a player, not many people have made a jump quite like him, and I think we just need to make him work as much as possible and try to exert as much energy [as you can]. He's obviously a great player, and we just got to keep picking him up 94 feet and try to make things tough on him.
Indiana Pacers
2-1 down ahead of the game, the Indiana Pacers came out firing in Game 4, jumping to an impressive 20-point lead in the first quarter and never looking back. Their offense was furious, shooting 57% from the field and hitting 14 three-pointers. Tyrese Haliburton chipped in 20 points, while T.J. McConnell and Obi Toppin provided valuable contributions off the bench again. The Knicks' defense completely failed to contain the Pacers' scoring as the Pacers continued their winning streak at home since March, with this victory bringing them to 10 games on the trot and 5-0 in the playoffs.
New York is a team that has shown that it has an indomitable will to compete and rise above anything people say they can't do. And we've seen it throughout the season. We've seen it in this series. We're believers in that, and so we got to focus on us. Everything is going to be a situation where you've got your hands completely full.
Betting Odds
The New York Knicks are 1.68 favorites on Betway, while Indiana Pacers are priced for 2.16 as slight underdogs. Over 215 is available for 1.8 odds on 1XBET, which lists the under at 1.952. Betting the spread on Bet365, Indiana Pacers is 1.76 for +3.5 with -3.5 for the Knicks priced at 2.00 odds. Read more.
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