The Indiana Pacers will wrap up their 2022-23 NBA season on Sunday afternoon. Indiana is 34-47 and will visit Madison Square Garden to face the New York Knicks in the final regular season game for both sides. New York is playoff-bound as the No. 5 seed in the East with a looming first round matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Julius Randle (ankle) and Jalen Brunson (hand) are out for the Knicks. Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) and Chris Duarte (ankle) are out for the Pacers, with Myles Turner (ankle), Jalen Smith (knee), Aaron Nesmith (head), TJ McConnell (hip), Isaiah Jackson (head), and Oshae Brissett (back) listed as questionable.
Tip-off is at 1 p.m. ET in New York. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Knicks as 8.5-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 230 in the latest Pacers vs. Knicks odds. Before you make any Knicks vs. Pacers picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past four-plus seasons. The model enters the final week of the 2022-23 NBA regular season a stunning 71-36 on all top-rated NBA picks this season, returning more than $3,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Knicks vs. Pacers and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the NBA lines and trends for Pacers vs. Knicks:
- Pacers vs. Knicks spread: Knicks -8.5
- Pacers vs. Knicks over/under: 230 points
- Pacers vs. Knicks money line: Knicks -355, Pacers +278
- IND: The Pacers are 19-21 against the spread in road games
- NYK: The Knicks are 18-19-3 against the spread in home games
- Pacers vs. Knicks picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Pacers can cover
Indiana is scoring 1.16 points per possession over the last seven games, and the Pacers are leading the league with 18.1 fast break points per game this season. Indiana also shares the ball well with 26.9 assists per contest, and the Pacers are above the NBA median in 3-point percentage (36.5%), free throw percentage (79.0%), and offensive rebound rate (28.6%).
On defense, the Pacers rely on havoc creation, including 15.1 takeaways and 7.7 steals per game. Indiana ranks in the top 10 in both categories, and the Pacers are in the top three with 5.8 blocked shots per contest. New York has efficiency challenges with shotmaking, as the Knicks are in the bottom third of the league in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and free throw percentage. The Knicks also average fewer than 23 assists per game, ranking in the bottom three of the NBA this season.
Why the Knicks can cover
New York has the superior overall profile in this matchup and, despite the absence of Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have an intriguing shot creator in RJ Barrett. Barrett scored 28 points on Friday and has reached double figures in 20 consecutive games this season. He is averaging 19.6 points per game this season, and that can scale up as the primary option in this matchup. Overall, New York is in the top five of the NBA in offensive efficiency, scoring 116.9 points per 100 possessions. The Knicks are also in the top three of the league in free throw creation (25.5 attempts per game) and turnover rate (13.1%).
New York makes huge gains on the offensive glass, securing 31.7% of missed shots and averaging 16.2 second-chance points per game. With the Pacers struggling to the league's worst defensive rebound rate (68.5%), the door is open for New York to continue that dominance. In addition, Indiana is in the bottom five of the league in defensive rating (117.1), free throw attempts allowed (25.7 per game), and assists allowed (26.3 per game) this season.
How to make Pacers vs. Knicks picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 235 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 60% of simulations. You can get the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Knicks vs. Pacers? And which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
