Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks: The new chapter of the Eastern Conference rivalry

The New York Knicks are hosting the Indiana Pacers today at Madison Square Garden.

The Pacers are heading in the right direction

After making it to the Eastern Conference finals last season, the Indiana Pacers want to go one step further this time around. They did not make any significant additions in the offseason. In the season opener, the Pacers won 115-109 on the road against the Detroit Pistons. They were down by 8 going into the final quarter and managed to come back and win. Myles Turner was the best player in the game with 20 points and 9 rebounds, followed by Pascal Siakam, who finished with 19 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds.

Is this the season for the Knicks?

The New York Knicks made a lot of noise by trading for Karl-Anthony Towns and we are about to see if that will prove to be the right move. They have a tough start of the season losing 132-109 to the Boston Celtics. Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride led the team with 22 points each, while Towns finished with 12 points and 7 rebounds in this Knicks debut.

Betting Trends

The Knicks are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games overall, 8-3 SU in their last 11 home games against Indiana and 1-4 SU in their last 5 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. They are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall, 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games played on Friday and 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games as favorites. New York has played over the total point line in 10 of their last 12 home games and 7 of their last 10 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Pacers are 1-4 SU in their last 5 games overall, 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against the Knicks and 2-6 SU in their last 8 games on the road. They are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games overall, 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games against teams from the Eastern Conference and 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against teams from the Atlantic Division. Indiana has played over the total point line in 5 of their last 7 games overall and 4 of their last 5 games played on Friday.

Prediction and Conclusion

After a while, the Knicks and the Pacers are back among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Last season, they played seven games in the second round of the playoffs, with the Pacers winning the decisive game on the road. They are now back in MSG looking for their second win of the season, while the Knicks hope to pay them back and win their first game of the season. The Knicks look pretty different compared to their last matchup since they do not have Donte DiVincenzo and are much bigger with Karl-Anthony Towns in the lineup. Jalen Brunson is still the go-to guy in New York, and he will be the difference-maker in this game, leading the Knicks to the win.