The Indiana Pacers (1-0) visit the New York Knicks (0-1) on NBA Friday, tipping off at 7:30 p.m. ET from New York, NY. The game is airing live on ESPN and streaming on ESPN+, YouTube TV and other streaming apps.
The Knicks are consensus 4.5-point favorites over the Pacers on the spread (Knicks -4.5), with the over/under currently at 227.5 points. The Knicks are -200 favorites on the moneyline to win outright, while the Pacers are +165 to pull off the upset.
Let's dive into my Pacers vs. Knicks predictions and NBA picks for Friday, October 25.
Pacers vs. Knicks Prediction
My pick: Over 225.5 (Bet to 227)
The Knicks remade their roster in the offseason and may need some time to iron out the wrinkles, but they are playing a Pacers team that has plenty of weapons and last season liked to push the pace. New York should have little trouble keeping up, making this a high-scoring affair.
For all of your NBA bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NBA odds page.
Pacers vs. Knicks Odds
| Pacers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -110 | 227.5 -110o / -110u | +165 |
| Knicks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -110 | 227.5 -110o / -110u | -200 |
- Pacers vs. Knicks spread: Knicks -4.5
- Pacers vs. Knicks over/under: 227 points
- Pacers vs. Knicks moneyline: Knicks -200, Pacers +165
- Pacers vs. Knicks best bet: Over 225.5 (Bet to 227)
Spread
The Knicks had a busy offseason, the result of which is a team some believe will contend in the Eastern Conference. Them being 4.5-point favorites shows a belief in their roster as well as the home court advantage they'll enjoy in this game against a solid Pacers team that rallied to knock the Knicks out of last year's Eastern Conference Semifinals in seven games on the way to an Eastern Conference Finals loss to eventual champion Boston.
Moneyline
On the other hand, the respective moneylines show how this game is still a bit of a toss-up. These are two good teams, after all, and the Pacers are coming off a dominant win over Detroit whereas the Knicks were blown out in their opener in Boston. If you're not sold on the Knicks yet, the Pacers aren't a bad bet here.
Over/Under
The first batch of games this season heavily favored the Over, and the line here is one that you could see the teams combining to blow past. Both have plenty of talented scorers, although the Knicks may have some rust to shake off given the number of changes they made in the offseason. Further, their loss to the Celtics saw them score 109 points, and that was with Karl-Anthony Towns contributing just 12.
I expect Towns to take more than nine shots and the Pacers' fast pace to push this one past the over.
My pick: Over 225.5 (Bet to 227)
Betting Trends to Know
- 60% of bets and 47% of the money are on the Pacers to cover the spread.
- 84% of bets and 89% of the money on the moneyline are on the Knicks to win outright.
- 93% of bets and 94% of the money are on the over.
Betting trends via our live, updating NBA public betting & money percentages page.
Pacers vs. Knicks Start Time, Channel, Streaming
| Location: | Madison Square Garden, New York, NY |
| Date: | Friday, October 25 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN / ESPN+, YouTube TV |
Knicks vs. Pacers is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET start time, live from Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Friday. The game is live on ESPN and is streaming on ESPN+ and YouTube TV.
Pacers vs. Knicks NBA Preview
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers got off to a good start with a road win over the Pistons, though they needed a fourth-quarter rally to do it.
In the win, the Pacers did not get great performances from anyone, but instead got solid contributions from most of their key players. They were led in scoring by Myles Turner's 20 points, with Pascal Siakam and Bennedict Mathurin each adding 19.
Two others scored in double figures, with Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell contributing 15 and 14 points, respectively. As a team, the Pacers shot nearly 51% from the field, but they made just 9-of-31 3s.
It was the kind of effort that highlights what makes the Pacers good, with scoring punch in the starting lineup and off the bench. A former lottery pick, Mathurin is capable of big nights off the bench whereas stars Haliburton and Siakam have proven more than capable of piling up points.
One of the league's deeper teams, last season the Pacers averaged around 13 made 3s per game and boasted the league's second-highest offensive rating, second-fastest pace, and top effective field goal percentage.
While they are different teams this season, in their seven-game series with New York in last year's playoffs, the Pacers scored at least 111 points in six of the seven games while giving up no fewer than 103 in any of them.
New York Knicks
Falling short of their goal last season, the Knicks swung some big trades in the offseason, acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Nets and Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves. The big-time additions came at the expense of depth, but the result could be something special.
It wasn't on opening night, but that could probably be attributed to playing the defending champs on the road.
While not a great performance, the Knicks certainly had much to be pleased with. Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride each scored 22 points, with the latter doing so off the bench. Bridges chipped in 16 while Towns and Josh Hart each notched 12. Reserve guard Cameron Payne scored 11 in the game in which the Knicks shot 55.1% from the field and made 11-of-30 3s.
As Towns gets more acclimated with his new team, his production will likely go up, as he has not averaged fewer than 20.8 points per game in a season since his rookie year in 2015-16. He took just nine shots against the Celtics, and that number could come close to doubling most nights.
How the team's guards and wings will fit around their new center remains to be seen, but there is plenty of 3-point shooting to be found between Brunson and Bridges, especially. Eight different Knicks attempted at least two 3s against the Celtics, with Bridges' seven leading the way for coach Tom Thibodeau's team.
My pick: Over 225.5 (Bet to 227)
