Pacers vs Knicks Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Predictions | 2025 NBA Playoffs Best Bets

Pacers vs Knicks Eastern Conference Finals Game 1 Predictions | 2025 NBA Playoffs Best Bets

Eastern Conference Finals begin Wednesday night between the Pacers and Knicks. And don’t forget, it’s a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference semi-finals, which went seven games. We have some great data to work with. Side total player prop recommendations coming up. Free analysis right here, right now. Hi, this is Steve Merrill, wageralk.com, right back here on Wagert Talk TV. And let’s get right to it. This game tips off at 8:00 Eastern, Wednesday night on TNT. All these games will be on TNT throughout the Eastern Conference Finals. And as I mentioned, these teams played seven games in the playoffs last year. The home team went 6-0 the first six times and then Indiana pulled the upset on the road in game seven to advance and eventually get swept 4 nothing against the healthy Celtics last year. Different result this year. The Knicks knock out the um unhealthy Celtics. The Pacers knock out the unhealthy Cavaliers. The top two seeds are gone from the East. It is wide open here. And I do think Indiana’s a live dog in this series once again. In fact, as far as the series price goes, if you’re going to play this, I would only take the plus money at plus 140 with Indiana. As I said, last year this series went seven. The Pacers pulled the upset as the road team. See, no reason why they can’t do it again this year. It is a different matchup, though. Indiana pretty much the same team, but of course, New York has some different pieces. They made that trade with Minnesota. Timberwolves have made the Western Conference Finals. Knicks have made the Eastern Conference Finals. So, I guess we could say it was a win-win. Carl Anthony Towns for Julius Randall. Some other pieces as well. Well, hey, by the way, comment below. Do you think both teams won? You know, a nice trade. Both teams should win, but we don’t see it happen too often, but it looks like that might be the case here. With that said, though, I think Indiana is a live dog in this series, which means they’re probably a live dog in game one as well. Currently, the line has favored New York, though. The line opened three and a half, got bumped up to four and a half. We’ve also seen some early money come in on the over in this game. Open 222, it is now sitting 224. Um, the total is high for a reason because Indiana plays fast and they’re an excellent offensive team. New York prefers a more slow down half court style. However, they do play fast when their opponent lets them. So, I think it’s a little misleading. This isn’t a slow down half court New York defensive team like we’ve seen in years past and I do think this total can get up and over. Now, I know NBA playoff games are lower scoring on average and the Knicks are a very physical team. In fact, the really the only edge the only thing they did better than Boston in the last round was the physicality rating. but they had a double-digit deficit almost every game until game six. Um, once again, they benefited from Tatum going out, being injured. KP Parzingis didn’t play much. So, a little bit of a phony advancement by the Knicks. And you could say the same thing about the Pacers beating up on the Hless Cavs, but once again, Indiana did it four out of five games and Cleveland was healthy at time in that series and Indiana was still the better team. So, I think the Pacers are a live dog in this series. I like them at the plus 140 price. If you’re playing the seven game series here, take a look at Indiana. they lose game one, you can also come back with them at an adjusted price of probably two and a half, three to one for this series in game two. So maybe put half a unit now and then put the other half if they happen to drop game one because you’ll get a much better adjusted price in game two. Uh let’s dig into the regular season matchups. These teams actually only played three times. I know they’re conference opponents, but they only met three times in the regular season, but once again, they played seven times last May in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. So we have a lot to work with here. And the Pacers and Knicks have gone exactly five and five straight up the last 10 straight up. Um Indiana, I believe, has also gone five and five against the spread. So, this has been a very tight series, which is another reason why I think the plus 140 price for the series, I would lean Indiana for that reason. Um, as far as the regular season, we can’t take too much away because these teams played two of the games in October and November. They split out and then the most recent meeting was way back on February 11th. Uh, Knicks did win two of the three. Uh N Smith did not play much in the regular season. Um he was also limited when he did play. Um he’s a guy maybe we look to play under on player props. Even though I do like the matchup for Indiana, it should be a high-scoring series. Uh N Smith did not do much in the regular season, so maybe he’s a guy we look to play under uh for Indiana in game one. Going back to the playoffs last year, keep in mind the Knicks did win one games one and two at home, but game one they only won by four points. came back with a 9-point one and then Indiana won by five and a blowout win uh by 32. The Knicks responded in game five last year with a blowout win of their own um in game number five back at home um by 31 or 30 points I believe in that one. And then of course Indiana bounced back 13-point win and then the big outlier was the game seven last year which the Pacers won by 21 points as a two and a half point road dog. And I think that maybe tells you that Indiana is the better team. They won the critical game seven on the road in blowout fashion and yes the Knicks have some different pieces this year but I think Indiana matches up well and if the tempo is fast which I think it will be and obviously the total of 224 shows you that that favors the Pacers as well. As far as the total the regular season matchups back in October and November totaled around 229 the most recent meeting in February was 242 and a half and they landed 243. So I do like the over 224 here in game one. And I know it’s playoff basketball, but I think they’ve bumped it a little too low. It’s 18 points lower than that last regular season meeting that landed 243. As far as last year’s playoff games, games one and two were priced around 217. That landed 238. And then we had a 218 and a half. It landed 251. So once again, games one and two in New York last year in May had 238 251 points. So I do like the over 224 here for you as a free play in the video here in game number one. All right. As far as player props, if we’re looking at the overs, obviously we’re looking at some player props over as well. I’d say I’d be careful with N Smith. Once again, they didn’t really use him much in the matchups in the regular season. Um, so once again, he’s a guy I would leave off the card as far as some overs. Uh, Seakum played pretty well in the regular season. He had 24 points in the most recent meeting. Um, had only 14 in the second meeting, but he took a lot of shots and he only had 12 points in the first meeting, but only played 23 minutes because once again, that was a blowout loss. that game back in October. I’m going to scratch that cuz it was early season. Um, Knicks won by 25 and they were up by 31 after the third quarter. So, once again, Pacers sat most of their guys. Nobody played more than 25 minutes. So, we’re going to scratch that game in October. Uh, the game in November we can maybe use a little bit, but once again, I think that February meeting is the most reliable one. And once again, Sakum did have a nice game there. Hallebertton um did not do much in that game, only 16 points, eight assists. and back in the November game at 35 points, 14 assists. He’s so bipolar. He’s up and down. If you do play Hallebert and points over, you might want to hedge it with assist over because he usually gets one or the other. I think the New York side is probably where we can trust some of the point props a little bit more uh just due to the fact the Pacers are not a great defensive team. They do play fast, which means New York’s big guys should be able to get some points. CarlAnthony Towns tore them up in the game back in February, which the Knicks won by 13 on the road. Uh Carl Anthony Towns had 40 points in that game. Uh Jaylen Brunson only had eight points, only four for 11 shooting, only played 22 minutes in that one, but he had five fouls. He had foul trouble and the Knicks still won the game by 13 because Carl Anthony Towns was a beast. Hart Hart had 30 points. Josh Hart, don’t forget about him, he took 16 shots. But once again, Brunson had foul trouble in the February game and played only about half a game. So be a little careful reading too much into that box score. Let’s go back to the November meeting this year to get a better accurate read. And Brunson had a big game. 40 minutes, 33 points, 17 shot attempts. And Towns once again, 30 points on 19 shot attempts. So, uh, Towns is big in both games. Hart, by the way, at 16 in that one. And Anubi had 25 points in the November game. Um, and I believe he did not play he did not play in the February game. So, he’s a guy to keep an eye on, but we don’t have a lot of data there. Uh going back to last year’s playoff games, um I don’t want to dig too much into those from the Knicks side because once again they have a different lineup. Now Carl Anthony Towns was not there. Um but some of the Indiana guys, we’ll look at those game sixes and sevens for you uh since they were the two critical games for the Pacers in that closeout game seven win on the road for Indiana. Seakum had 20 points. Uh Nimbet Nimbard had 20 and Hallebertton did have 26 six assists. So once again, he got the points, didn’t get the assist. and the game six win for Indiana last year at home. Uh Seakkum 25 points, 21 shot attempts. So that’s why I like his over. A lot of shot attempts last year. Hallebertton 15 points and nine assists. So once again, I think Seakum is probably the safest guy to take the over with. Uh Nith, by the way, had only eight points in game six last year and N Smith did have 19 in that game seven, but he was eight for eight shooting, including two for two from three. So N Smith under Seakum over would be my opinions on the Pacer props. and then Brunson, Carl, Anthony Towns would be the two guys I’d look to play over. I know it seems simple, but once again, those guys are going to take the majority of the shots for New York. There you go. Game one preview, series preview overall. Hey, drop some comments below and let me know your thoughts on this Knicks Pacers series. Definitely looks like it has the makings of another six or seven game series like we saw last year in May during the playoffs. And that’s why I think the Pacers are a live dog at plus 140. Also think the over 224 could be in play. Once again, the two games last year in New York 1 and two were very high scoring and soared over the total and this one’s about 18 points lower than it was just a couple months ago. Drop your thoughts on the side total. What player props are you looking at? Hey, include some analysis if you have time. Let’s learn and earn and win together here on Wager Talk TV. And don’t forget, I’m doing every NBA playoff game every day this postseason. I will continue to do so for all of the Eastern and Western Conference Finals. We’ll have your Thunder Timberwolf previews up one night and then the very next night, Nick Knicks Pacer games here. They’re alternating west, east, west, east all week long. So make sure you check in every day here on Wager Talk TV. And if you want an instant alert and want to be the first to watch these videos when they go up, thumbs up, like, but more importantly, click subscribe and click that bell for an instant alert. When you click that bell for an instant alert here, you will get notified when these free play videos go up every day, not only for the NBA playoffs, but my daily free baseball play videos, which I do throughout the week as well. Once again, if you want more baseball free play videos, if you’re liking these NBA games, thumbs up, like, positive comments below because I do read the comments and I reply back on the way out. If you want my personal best bets for the NBA playoffs and also Major League Baseball each day, I know the NBA is winding down. I know most of you are already on board for the rest of the NBA season, but many of you have been thinking about getting on board for baseball and I highly recommend it. Baseball is extremely profitable. We won over a 100 units on best bets in baseball alone last year. that was number one in baseball profit on best bets at wager talk. We had doubled our bankroll in all sports by the end of August last summer. I bring that up because right now there’s a Labor Day special all access through Labor Day for just 579. That includes baseball, rest of the NBA finals, start of football. So once again, all access through Labor Day for $579. Or if you want a shorter package and just baseball, we do have a special through the All-Star break. It’s normally $4.99, but with promo code star399, you get a $100 discount and get it down to $399. So once again, if you want my baseball for the next two months, get it for just $3.99. That’s just over $5 a day with promo code star 399. S399. You don’t have to memorize all these special offers and promo codes. They’re all listed on my homepage right now along with a daily free play. I post a bonus free play every day on my page. Also, Steve Merrillagertalk.com. Hey, get there quicker with shortcut WT.BuzzSM. Don’t forget to follow me on social media as well. You see it at the bottom of the screen there. Steve Merrill, two Rs, one LS Steve Merrill on X and Instagram. And stay tuned here to Wager Talk TV because you know there’s more free played videos coming up next.

🏀 Join NBA betting expert Steve Merril as he breaks down Wednesday’s Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks Game 1 clash as he breaks down how to wager this Eastern Conference Finals matchup. What is his free NBA Playoffs prediction? Get his betting insights now!

#nbapicks #nbapredictions #nbaplayoffs

🏀 Eastern Conference Finals Game 1: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks

Get ready for a thrilling showdown as the Indiana Pacers (#4 seed) face off against the New York Knicks (#3 seed) in Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals. This marks their ninth postseason meeting since 1993, reigniting one of the NBA’s most intense rivalries.

📍 Game Details
Date: Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City​

📺 How to Watch
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Online Streaming: NBA League Pass
Radio Coverage: SiriusXM NBA Radio ​

📊 Betting Odds
Point Spread: Knicks -2.5
Over/Under: 212.5
Series Odds: Knicks -145, Pacers +125 ​

📌 Team Hashtags
Indiana Pacers: #BoomBaby
New York Knicks: #NewYorkForever​

🔍 Notable Facts
The Pacers and Knicks have a storied playoff history, with Indiana leading the series 5-3.

Reggie Miller, a Pacers legend, was known for his clutch performances against the Knicks, earning the nickname “Knick Killer.”

The Knicks are making their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 1999, led by Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Pacers’ center Myles Turner became the franchise’s all-time leader in blocks during the 2024 season.

This series is a rematch of the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals, where the Pacers defeated the Knicks in seven games.

👍 Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to WagerTalk TV; 🔔 CLICK the Bell and never miss an episode!

🏀 More Free NBA Picks: https://www.wagertalk.com/free-sports-picks/NBA
🤑 Free Sports Picks: https://www.wagertalk.com/free-sports-picks
📊 Live Odds: https://www.wagertalk.com/odds
🗞️ News: https://www.wagertalk.com/news

👍 Stay connected with WagerTalk

📺 YouTube: https://wt.buzz/tv
👍 Facebook: https://wt.buzz/fb
🐦 Twitter: https://wt.buzz/tw
📸 Instagram: https://wt.buzz/ig
📰 Reddit: https://wt.buzz/rd
❤️ iHeart Radio: https://wt.buzz/iheart
🍎 Apple Podcasts: https://wt.buzz/ap
📌 Pinterest: https://wt.buzz/pin