The New York Knicks (16-13, 9-6 Away), one of the league’s top shooting defenses, are on the road to face the Indiana Pacers (15-15, 9-6 Home) on Sunday. New York outplayed the Chicago Bulls 114-91 at United Center on Friday, their sixth straight win.
RJ Barrett was the scoring leader with 27 points. Jalen Brunson chipped in with 22 points and six assists. The Knicks are the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Indiana fell short on Friday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers 118-112.
Bennedict Mathurin recorded 22 points to lead the team in scoring in defeat. With 17 points and 14 assists, Tyrese Haliburton also played a part. The Pacers are the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. The teams are meeting for the first time this season. New York and Indiana split their matchups last season, each team taking two.
The Knicks won the last meeting 104-94 at Madison Square Garden on January 4. Barrett led the Knicks with 32 points, while Julius Randle played a key role with 30 points and 16 rebounds. Keifer Sykes had 22 points and six assists in the loss.
Randle (22.4 ppg), Brunson (20.5), and Barrett (19.2) have led the Knicks in scoring this season. Randle leads the league in scoring. Randle also has grabbed 9.0 rebounds per game, most in the NBA, while Brunson has dished 6.3 assists per game, most in the NBA.
Haliburton (19.7 ppg), Mathurin (18.0), and Buddy Hield (17.5) have powered the Pacers’ offense. Haliburton leads the league. Haliburton also has doled out 10.7 assists per game, most in the league.
Meanwhile, Myles Turner has collected 7.8 rebounds per game. Holding opponents to only 45.0% from the field, the Knicks are one of the stingiest FG% defenses in the NBA (3rd). The Pacers have had success in the last 10 meetings between the teams at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, winning seven.
New York has won five in a row away from home this season.New York is 7-3 in the last 10 games with an average margin of +9.7 (114.6-104.9).
For the season, the Knicks are averaging 114.3 points per game, compared to 112.4 for opponents. Indiana has gone 3-7 over the last 10, allowing 118.8 points per game on average while scoring only 113.3 (-5.5 margin).
KNICKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Quentin Grimes: 21.8 | 13.2 | +8.6
Obi Toppin: 4.0 | 12.5 | -8.5
Points per game:
Quentin Grimes: 15.4 | 8.2 | +7.2
Rebounds per game:
Julius Randle: 11.4 | 9.0 | +2.4
PACERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jalen Smith: 11.8 | 18.1 | -6.3
Points per game:
Jalen Smith: 6.2 | 10.5 | -4.3
Rebounds per game:
Jalen Smith: 4.2 | 6.4 | -2.2
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Indiana Pacers -1.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
