Sport 7 at Madison Sq. Backyard.
The NBA couldn’t have requested for higher from a second-round playoff collection between the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers.
It’s been a back-and-forth affair between groups which have traded double-digit victories over the past three video games after taking part in a lot nearer contests the primary three. However none of that can matter when the ball goes up within the air Sunday afternoon.
One group will transfer on to the convention finals and the opposite will go residence. And although we will anticipate to see some impressed particular person performances from the likes of Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Haliburton and others, the single-biggest figuring out issue of which group comes out on prime may simply be 56-year-old venue they’ll be taking part in in.
The Knicks are 3.5-point residence favorites, and they need to in all probability be favored by extra contemplating each how they’ve carried out at MSG this postseason and the way poorly the Pacers have performed on the highway.
New York is 5-1 on the Backyard in these playoffs, together with 3-0 this collection with a 14-point common margin of victory. Particularly, the Knicks’ offense has been vastly higher at residence, bettering by greater than eight factors per possession over how they carry out on the highway. They’ve the second-best residence offensive score in these playoffs, solely trailing the Pacers.
If this recreation had been being performed in Indiana, we may be having a distinct dialog. However the Pacers have been abysmal on the highway. They’re 1-5 within the playoffs and 2-4 towards the unfold. And the largest problem has been on the defensive facet of the ball, the place they permit 14 extra factors per possession away from residence.
Even with the standing of OG Anunoby and Josh Hart nonetheless in query for the Knicks, the house/away splits for every group paints an unfavorable ending for Indiana. That’s why I’m taking New York to return out on prime and canopy the unfold within the course of.
Prince’s Choose: Knicks -3.5 (Knicks 120, Pacers 107)
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