The Eastern Conference finals shifts back to Indiana for Game 6, as the New York Knicks look to stave off elimination against the Pacers.
The pregame narrative: Karl-Anthony Towns was superb in Game 5 and helped lead New York to a comfortable victory. The Knicks have one win as road underdogs already in this series, but they’ll need another one to force Game 7.
I’m targeting Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Myles Turner in my Pacers vs. Knicks prop picks for Game 6 on May 31.
Knicks vs. Pacers prop picks
Best bet: Hart over 18.5 points/rebounds (-118)
A move to the bench might’ve seemed like a death knell for Hart’s productivity at first, but that hasn’t been the case at all.
Hart, one of New York’s three “Nova Knicks,” played 34-plus minutes off the bench in Games 3-5.
His chemistry within the rotation is an obvious plus, but he’s also an elite pound-for-pound rebounder. In my view, his playing time is as safe as anyone in coach Tom Thibodeau’s inner circle.
The Knicks’ offence doesn’t flow through Hart, but he’s been efficient in this series. The 30-year-old wing is averaging 9.2 PPG on 52.0% shooting.
He’s also attempted six free throws in each of the past three games.
Even if the shooting numbers are tame on Saturday, I know Hart can get halfway to this number (or more) as a rebounder. He has 10-plus rebounds in five of his past six games.
In fact, Hart has 10-plus rebounds in seven of eight games vs. the Pacers this season (regular season and playoffs included).
Throughout the postseason, Hart has gone 11-6 against this prop while averaging 12.0 PPG and 8.9 RPG.
Whether he’s in the starting lineup or not, he’ll see big minutes and plenty of action around the ball.
Key stat: Hart has played 15 games vs. Indiana since the start of their 2024 playoff series. In that span, he’s 10-5 against this prop while averaging 23.7 PR.
Game 6 prop prediction
Towns over 22.5 points (-108): I took the under on KAT’s points prop at this very number in Game 5. Wrong move.
How foolish of me to think that Towns’ presence on the injury report (knee, questionable) would hamper the 7-footer. He led the Knicks in shot attempts (20) and minutes (36) en route to a 24-point double-double.
- Towns is now 4-1 vs. this points prop in the ECF.
- He has 20+ points in all eight games vs. Indiana this year (27.3 PPG).
Towns, who was apparently playing hurt, had a physical edge to his game on Thursday that I didn’t expect. That’s certainly a good sign for his ability to cash this bet in Game 6.
Turner over 1.5 assists (+105): Turner isn’t thought of as a facilitator, but this price intrigues me.
The assist ceiling isn’t high for Turner, who’s averaging 1.5 APG this year (playoffs included). But he has cashed this bet in three of five games this series.
Dating back to last year’s Knicks/Pacers playoff matchup, Turner is 7-7 on this prop market against New York (1.7 APG).
At that hit rate, this is a fair price.
Knicks vs. Pacers prop picks made at 3:32 p.m. ET 05/30/2025.
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.