The New York Knicks executed a stunning trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves before the season, dealing Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in a deal for Karl-Anthony Towns. They have to be happy with the result, as New York is in the Eastern Conference finals for just the second time since 1975 — and the first time as a favorite since 1994. The Knicks are -155 favorites to advance to the NBA Finals at BetMGM.
The Indiana Pacers are in the conference finals for the second consecutive year and are a lot healthier than last year when they were swept by the Boston Celtics, the eventual champions. Tyrese Haliburton & Co. shocked the No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the last round and won’t be intimidated by the Madison Square Garden environment.
This should be another fantastic series between two Eastern Conference rivals.
Yahoo Sports asked handicapper Michael Fiddle for his thoughts on the Knicks-Pacers series and his best bets:
No. 3 New York Knicks (-155) vs. No. 4 Indiana Pacers (+130)
Fiddle: “The Knicks are coming in with a rest disadvantage, but because they closed Game 6 on Saturday, they still have four days off, which neutralizes that disadvantage. It was really important they closed that series in Game 6, so they didn’t have to travel to and from Boston.
“My model had the regular-season numbers as Knicks -3.6 in Game 1, so Knicks -3.5 was spot on, with a little bit of Knicks action coming into the market, which is what we’ve seen. If you count home-court advantage as slightly more advantage in the playoffs, -4 or -4.5 makes sense. I think we see that line steam a little more. Home-court advantage for the Knicks should be stronger in the playoffs than the regular season because star players who are questionable are more likely to play because it’s MSG.
“I like Knicks at -4.5 or better in Game 1 and the Knicks in series. All of the regular-season matchups moved toward the over and cashed the over on the closing line, and we’ve already seen the total move 2.5 points as well. Probably a high-scoring series and a Knicks win.”
Best bets: NY Knicks -4.5 in Game 1, NY Knicks -155 to win series
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