Knicks vs Pacers Prediction 19 May 2024

New York and Indiana, securing victories only in home games, have reached the decisive seventh match of this thrilling series. Naturally, given that the upcoming game will take place at Madison Square Garden, the Knicks are considered the favorites to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Can Indiana surprise, or is the outcome of the upcoming meeting all too obvious?

New York had a terribly unsuccessful sixth game, and this awful performance is precisely the reason for the significant loss by 13 points (103-116). Essentially, the Knicks looked worse than their opponent in all major statistical parameters: Tom Thibodeau's charges surpassed Indiana only in three-point shooting (38.2% against 34.6%). However, this result should not be misleading: in all away games of this series, New York demonstrated subpar basketball (3 losses out of 3), but at home, they showed their true level.

Few doubted that Indiana would level the series in the sixth meeting — and so it happened. In this playoff run, the Pacers have been playing very high-quality basketball, being one of the most productive teams, with leaders rarely letting them down. Yes, in the face-off against New York, Rick Carlisle's charges could not secure a single victory on the road, but in two out of three cases, they were very close to doing so. Moreover, Indiana no longer has the right to make mistakes — based on the outcome of the upcoming match, the team will either advance to the semifinals or go on vacation, hence they must give it their all.

Projected lineups
New York: Branson, McBride, DiVincenzo, Hart, Hartenstein
Indiana: Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam, Turner