The Indiana Pacers continue to stick among the top teams in the Eastern Conference despite middling preseason expectations. Indiana is in third place in the East and only two game behind the Raptors for the top seed. The Pacers feel like they can stay up in that rarified air all year and have a good chance at claiming a road win this week against the New York Knicks.
The Knicks have failed to be competitive for years and are headed for the lottery once again in 2018-19. New York has been without star center Kristaps Porzingis all year and is dealing with a lack of talent on the roster.
Even bad home teams can pick up victories, so it’s not out of the question, but the Pacers should be the favorites in this showdown in NBA gambling.
This NBA basketball game between the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, January 11th, 2019. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Odds Analysis
The Pacers are 27-13 this season, with an impressive point-differential average of plus-5.8 per game. Indiana has done its work on the defensive end of the floor, allowing only 102.3 points per game, which is easily the best mark in the league. The Pacers have done a really nice job on the road this season with 13 wins in 21 games.
The Knicks have a record of just 10-30 this season. They have one of the worst point differentials in the league and have struggled at home with only four wins in 16 attempts. The Knicks have one of the worst defenses in the NBA so this could be a mismatch.
Key Stat
14. That’s how many losses the Knicks have in their past 16 games. They weren’t particularly impressive before this poor stretch but at least could win a game every now and then. New York has losing streaks of five games and eight in the midst of the lull.
The Knicks’ wins came over the Hornets in overtime by a bucket on Dec. 14 and on the road against the Lakers last week. New York was lucky to play a Los Angeles team without LeBron James or else that likely would have been a loss as well.
Injury Report
A big part of Indiana’s defensive dominance has been the presence of big man Myles Turner. He is averaging 7.1 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game, consistently doing a nice job patrolling the paint. Turner is also pitching in with 12.9 points per contest so he has been a key cog to Indiana’s success.
He is dealing with a shoulder injury, though, and his availability could be in jeopardy for this matchup. The Pacers should be the favorite either way in this game but if Turner is able to play it would be a nice boost.
Keep an eye on any reports about his availability prior to tipoff.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Knicks seem to be a in constant stage of rebuilding and is going to really struggle to score points against an Indiana team that is playing extremely well on the defensive end of the court. It remains to be seen if the Pacers can play well enough the rest of the way to remain a true contender in the East.
The early returns are good, and Indiana has a great chance to pick up a road win in this matchup. The Pacers are the choice to win the game, but take a look at the spread to see which team makes more sense to cover. The total is expected to be lower than a standard game in NBA odds.
NBA ATS Pick: Indiana Pacers 109, New York Knicks 99
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