The NBA Eastern Conference Finals continue Sunday with Game 6 between the Knicks and the Pacers. Can the Knicks stave off elimination again or will the Pacers advance to the NBA Finals? Check out our preview and best bets for Game 6 below.
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NBA Conference Finals Betting Tips: Game 6
New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers (Sunday 10:00am AEST)
Series Score: Pacers lead 3-2
The Indiana Pacers return home with a chance to close out the series against their storied rivals, the New York Knicks, when they meet in a must-win Game 6 matchup for the Knicks. Victory on Sunday would see the Knicks force Game 7 at home, but the Pacers will look to send them packing and book an NBA Finals berth against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Game 5 was a game to forget for the Pacers who trailed the entire game, eventually falling 111-94. Jalen Brunson was phenomenal for the Knicks, dropping 32 points on 12-18 shooting from the field, and 4-7 from deep. His superstar teammate, Karl-Anthony Towns, was excellent in the contest with a 24-13 double-double. Coach Tom Thibodeau went deeper into his rotation playing 11 men, with nine of them playing 10 or more minutes.
Mitchell Robinson started again in Game 5 with Josh Hart coming off the bench, a mid-series move that Thibodeau has been trying. It will be interesting to see if this is the strategy for Game 6, and there’s no reason to think they won’t bring Hart off the bench again.
Bennedict Mathurin was the one shining light in Game 5, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The Pacers were +8 when he was on the floor. They shot just 40% from the field in their blowout loss and Tyrese Haliburton struggled to find any rhythm, scoring just eight points. He simply must play better and orchestrate the offense in order for them to beat the Knicks at home.
The Pacers are normally an efficient offensive unit, shooting close to 49% from the field, so expect them to push the pace when they return to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Pascal Siakam is the player that I expect to be ultra-aggressive in Game 6. He has dropped 39 and 30 points in this series, and if he can score 25 or more, the Pacers will go a long way to claiming victory.
Another factor that should motivate the Pacers is the fact that they were 29-11 at home and it is crucial for them to not allow this game to extend to a seventh game, as the Thunder will be rested and waiting for the winner in the NBA Finals.
With all that said, I believe the Pacers have been the better team throughout the series and can return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000 when falling 4-2 to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Pacers -3.5
$1.90 (1.5 Units)
Knicks vs Pacers Same Game Multi
Leg 1 = Pacers H2H – predicting the Pacers to close out the series at home.
Leg 2 = P. Siakam 20+ points – Pascal Siakam could be the focal point of the offense, and he can score quickly when aggressive.
Leg 3 = Jalen Brunson 25+ points – the Knicks need Brunson to score at least 30 points to be a winning chance.
Leg 4 = K. Towns 10+ rebounds – “The Big Bodega” is a rebounding machine who averaged 12.8 boards per game. Expect him to grab 10 or more and record another double double.
Same Game Multi Odds: $4.45 at Dabble
