Down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference finals, the New York Knicks are back on the road to face the Indiana Pacers.
The pregame narrative: Indiana, 4-1 as a home favourite this postseason, is a -175 favourite to win on Saturday night and advance to the NBA Finals. The Knicks held the Pacers to 94 points last time out, which was Indiana’s lowest total since Feb. 4.
Check out my Knicks vs. Pacers SGP predictions for Game 6 on May 31, featuring OG Anunoby and Aaron Nesmith.
Knicks vs. Pacers predictions
Parlay: Under 225.5 points | Nesmith under 11.5 points | Anunoby over 1.5 threes (+320)
Under 225.5 points (-167): This series started blazing fast out of the gates, but the track-meet style of play hasn’t stuck around.
- After a 273-point total in Game 1, the ensuing four games have averaged 221.3 points.
- Unders are 3-1 in the past four games of this series.
- Unders are 10-8-2 when the Knicks are road underdogs, per Team Rankings. Also, unders are 19-17-0 when the Pacers are home favourites.
From Games 2-5, the pace has been 96.88 possessions per 48 minutes. That’s roughly two-and-a-half possessions fewer than what Indiana had averaged through its first 15 playoff games.
As we hit the crunch time portion of the series, I wouldn’t be surprised to see both teams continue to take a slightly more cautious approach.
NBA SGP legs
Nesmith under 11.5 points (-125): Nesmith’s 30-point performance in Game 1, featuring 8-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, will always be the stuff of legends.
But that’s nowhere near his typical output, and he’s since come back down to Earth.
In his past four games, Nesmith is averaging 9.8 points on 37.5% shooting from the floor. He’s cashed this under in two of his past three matchups.
After his series-opening explosion, you might’ve expected the Pacers to continue feeding the fifth-year small forward. But heat checks don’t always carry from one game to another.
With single-digit shot attempts in four straight games, Nesmith is back into his standard role as a middle-tier scorer on a team with ample depth.
Anunoby over 1.5 threes (-188): It’s been back-to-back rough shooting performances from deep for Anunoby, but I’m buying in on what I hope will continue to be some solid volume.
After going 3-0 vs. this 3s milestone to open the series, Anunoby has hit the under twice while shooting 2-for-14 beyond the arc. Woof.
The glass-half-full approach — which I’m taking — is to appreciate that he’s taking as many 3-point attempts as he is.
With six or more attempted 3s in every game this series, the ex-Raptor is giving himself a chance to chase this bet every night.
Over his past eight playoff games, Anunoby is averaging 2.4 made 3s on 7.5 attempts.
Knicks vs. Pacers predictions made at 2:45 p.m. ET 05/31/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.