Pacers vs Knicks: 3 Player Props and Best Bet for Game 5

Welcome to the coming-out party for Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton. After having strong performances in his previous playoff games, Haliburton put on a show Tuesday night, finishing with a 32-point triple-double to give the Pacers a 3-1 series edge over the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

New York coach Tom Thibodeau suggested the Knicks need a reset after Indiana built a double-digit lead after halftime and hung onto the lead late in the fourth quarter. Those aren’t confidence-building terms for a coach to use after New York failed to even the series against the Pacers.

Can New York stave off elimination with a Game 5 victory? We’ll cover that and provide our three best player prop bets for this Eastern Conference Finals matchup inside Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

Indiana Pacers PG Tyrese Haliburton UNDER 37.5 Pts + Reb + Ast

The praise surrounding Haliburton’s Game 4 accomplishments has been deafening. Haliburton had his best three-point shooting performance of the series, connecting on 41.7 percent of his long-range shots to take Indiana within one game of the NBA Finals.

Still, Tuesday’s game is more of an outlier compared to the rest of Haliburton’s postseason. The point guard has eclipsed 38 combined points, rebounds, and assists in only six of his 14 playoff games. Although he’s accomplished this feat in every series-clinching win, bettors should expect him to finish under that total on Thursday.

New York Knicks PG Jalen Brunson OVER 30.5 Points

New York’s inability to put away the Pacers isn’t on point guard Jalen Brunson. The veteran has averaged 33.3 points per game in the Eastern Conference Finals, scoring at least 31 points in three of the four outings.

With the Knicks’ season on the line, there’s no reason to expect him to make a change. Bettors should expect that he’ll be an offensive beast on Thursday, covering this scoring prop bet in Game 5.

New York Knicks C Karl-Anthony Towns OVER 11.5 Rebounds

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns has done exactly what New York expected he’d do in the playoffs. During this postseason, he’s averaged nearly 20 points and over 11 rebounds per game. In the Eastern Conference Finals, he’s picked that up, scoring 25.8 points and grabbing 11.5 rebounds for the Knicks.

In eight of the last 11 games, Towns has recorded 12 or more rebounds for the Knicks. He’s done the same for the past two outings, and bettors should have confidence that he’ll make it three in a row on Thursday night.

Best Bet: Under 222.5 Points

The Pacers have been far and away the best team in the Eastern Conference Finals, but this series is a lucky series-opening choke by the Knicks from being tied heading into this pivotal Game 5.

New York will hold serve at home, using a stingy defense to record the victory. That’s why the under on the total points prop is the best bet for Thursday’s game. Taking the Knicks to cover the spread is tricky. I see Game 5 becoming a blowout despite the previous four games having single-digit margins of victory.