How to Bet Indiana Pacers At New York Knicks, Game 1 Of The Eastern Conference Finals

One of the best rivalries in the NBA starts a new chapter Wednesday when the New York Knicks host the Indiana Pacers for Game 1 of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals at Madison Square Garden. This is the eighth Pacers-Knicks playoff series since 1993. New York has won three, and Indiana has won five, including last year's conference semifinals, which went seven games. 

But, this is a different NYK team. They controversially traded All-Star PF Julius Randle and former Nova Knicks SG Donte DiVincenzo this offseason for All-Star big Karl-Anthony Towns. New York was missing Randle for the entire 2024 playoffs. C Mitchell Robinson played for only 11:47 in Game 1 of last year's conference semifinals and wing OG Anunoby missed Games 3-6 and most of Game 7. 

After beating the Detroit Pistons in six games in the first round, the Knicks slayed the dragon and upset the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals. The Pacers "gentlemen swept" the Milwaukee Bucks in the conference quarterfinals and got through the first-place Cleveland Cavaliers in five games in the last round, too. 

New York and Indiana are healthy entering the conference finals. The Knicks beat and covered the spread in two of their three meetings with the Pacers during the regular season, but they were all before the NBA All-Star break. DraftKings has NYK as a -145 favorite to win this series at the time of writing and Indy is a +125 underdog. 

Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks Game 1 Betting Odds 

Full disclosure: I'm a Knicks fan and there's no way I'm betting against them in this series. Indy's win in the 2024 conference semifinals was bogus. Its depth doesn't matter in the playoffs and Pacers PG Tyrese Haliburton was rightfully voted the "most overrated" by his peers. Okay, Haliburton is a baller, but I stand by the first two points. 

You're out of your mind if you think Indy's bench swings this series. Robinson and New York backup combo guard Miles McBride negate Indiana's backups. Also, besides Pacers PF Pascal Siakam vs. Anunoby, which is a toss-up, the Knicks are better at every position and have the best starting 5 in the playoffs. 

Furthermore, the 2024-25 NBA Clutch Player of the Year, Jalen Brunson, is the best player in this series and Towns has tortured Indiana throughout his career. KAT averages 27.8 points per game in 18 career meetings with Indy. That's tied for his personal best vs. any opponent with a minimum of two games played. 

Fellow OutKick hoops handicapper, David Troy, gave out a bet on Karl-Anthony Towns to win 2025 Eastern Conference Finals MVP (+1300) via X, which I tailed for a half-unit and will count towards my NBA bankroll this season. Because, while Brunson is the best player in this series, his odds of winning the Larry Bird Trophy are +105 and Indy doesn't have an answer for KAT. 

Instead of laying -4.5 with the Knicks, I'm putting 2.5 units (u) on their -180 moneyline for Game 1 at DraftKings to profit 1.39u. I could see the Pacers backdoor covering in garbage time or New York needing some Brunson magic in the clutch. 

Finally, I'm betting 2.9u on NYK's -145 series price to profit 2u. Many NBA betting analysts say this series should be even money and the Knicks' series odds are a "New York tax". No, the Knicks have the better roster, were better in the regular season, had a tougher road in the playoffs, and will get revenge for last year. 

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Follow me on X (or Twitter, whatever) @Geoffery-Clark, and check out my OutKick Bets Podcast for more betting content and random rants. I'll add bets to my NBA 2024-25 betting record via X all season.