Struggling Knicks Look To Get Back On Track Vs Pacers

The New York Knicks (7-6 SU, 6-7 ATS) host the Indiana Pacers (6-8, 8-6) at Madison Square Garden on Monday. The Pacers will be looking to extend their win streak to three games while the Knicks will try to avoid losing their third straight.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The Knicks opened as 3-point favorites at home over the visiting Pacers. The total was set at 217 points with the UNDER going 7-3 in the last 10 meetings between the two teams. Indiana is 6-1 ATS in its last seven outings while New York is 2-6 ATS in its last eight.

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Indiana News & Notes

The Pacers won their second straight game on Saturday, downing the Philadelphia 76ers 118-113. Justin Holiday led the team in scoring with 27 points and Myles Turner dropped 20. Domantas Sabonis had a double-double with 18 points and 12 boards while Malcolm Brogdon posted a triple-double with 13 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. In all, the Pacers had six scorers hit double digits in a strong team effort.

Indiana’s offense has been just so-so this season, averaging 109.1 points per game (13th in the NBA), though the Pacers have boosted that number to 114.5 points over their last two outings thanks to big performances from Brogdon and Turner.

New York News & Notes

After starting the season at 5-1, the Knicks have cooled off lately, sitting at 7-5 after dropping their last two games. They fell 104-96 to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday despite a season-high 26-point showing from Kemba Walker. Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, the team’s top two scorers on the season, were held to just 10 and two points respectively in the loss.

The Knicks’ weakness has been their defense as they’ve allowed 109.1 points per game, which ranks 22nd in the league. If they want to get back into the win column, they’ll have to do a better job of shutting teams down from beyond the arc, where opponents have enjoyed a three-point shooting rate of nearly 37 percent.

How Indiana Will Cover

The Pacers offense has been hot lately thanks to depth scoring and they’ll want to keep that up on the road against the Knicks. That depth was on display in the first meeting of the season as Indiana had six players score at least 10 points in a 111-98 win over New York. With the Knicks’ weak three-point defense, we could also see another offensive explosion from the Pacers.

How New York Will Cover

The Knicks haven’t shown the ability to shut teams down so they’ll likely need to outscore the Pacers in this one. Walker has averaged just 12.5 points per game – his lowest mark since he was a rookie – but he proved himself once again with a 26-point outing on Friday. If Randle and Barrett can get their groove back as well, we could see the Knicks get back into the win column.

Computer Pick: Pacers +3

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