The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks are set to play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, and although it was not a matchup that many expected coming into the NBA Playoffs, there are several interesting prop bets to look at for this game.
Pacers-Knicks is a storied rivalry going back to the 90s, so this series will undoubtedly elicit nostalgia for many fans. The two teams did play in the second round of last year’s playoffs, with Indiana prevailing in seven games. New York comes in healthier this time around and with a much different roster after the offseason trades for Mikal Bridges and Karl Anthony-Towns.
Many believe this series will come down to how the Pacers’ high tempo offense and deep rotation will impact the Knicks’ short rotation. New York’s physicality and size on the offensive glass will be a big part of this series, too.
With this in mind, let’s get to the three best prop bets for Game 1.
Pacers-Knicks Player Prop #1: Karl-Anthony Towns over 36.5 points + rebounds + assists
The Boston Celtics were a tough matchup for Karl-Anthony Towns, but he turned in his best performance in that series in Game 6. The Pacers present a different challenge, and he might have some trouble on the defensive end of the floor, but he should have plenty of opportunities to score and grab rebounds.
You can get Towns to record over 36.5 points, rebounds and assists at -110 on DraftKings. For Game 1, I like this bet. He turned in some of his best performances in the regular season against the Pacers, including a 40-point game on Feb. 11 in Indiana.
Towns went over 36.5 points, assists and rebounds in two of the three games the Knicks played against the Pacers this season. The time he did not go over was on Oct. 25, when he scored 21 and grabbed 15 boards, but did not record an assist.
Although the Pacers present challenges for Towns on defense, this matchup should give him plenty of chances to score and grab rebounds. I like the over here.
Player Prop #2: Tyrese Haliburton under 23.5 points + rebounds
Tyrese Haliburton is a unique star, known for his ability to distribute the ball. This makes for an interesting case when looking at prop bets. Haliburton can still make a big impact in Game 1 with assists, but when looking at just points and rebounds, the under seems like a good play here.
You can grab Haliburton to record under 23.5 points and rebounds for -125 on DraftKings. He was held scoreless in the 123-98 loss to the Knicks on Oct. 25, but scored 35 in the 132-121 win on Nov. 11. In the 128-115 loss on Feb. 11 he scored 16 points with five rebounds.
Haliburton is capable of racking up a ton of assists and making his mark that way, so going for the under with the points and rebounds combo bet seems like a good call for Game 1.
Pacers-Knicks Player Prop #3: Mikal Bridges 2+ steals
Mikal Bridges has turned it up on both ends of the floor in this postseason run, showing why the Knicks gave all of those picks to the Brooklyn Nets to acquire him. He has been great at forcing turnovers in these playoffs, and you get +120 odds for him to record two or more steals on DraftKings for Game 1.
The Pacers are a different type of challenge, and Haliburton is great avoiding turnovers. But Bridges had at least one steal in all six games against the Celtics, putting up two or more in four of the six games. He also had three steals in Games 2, 3 and 4 against the Detroit Pistons in the first round.
Steals might be harder to come by for Bridges in this series, but at plus money, two or more steals seems like a worthy bet for Game 1.
