I don’t know if any of us were prepared for what we got in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and Knicks.
An instant classic with a ton of crazy moments, punctuated by Tyrese Haliburton and Aaron Nesmith going bonkers in the fourth quarter, wiping out a 14-point deficit, pushing the game to OT, and finally to a win.
Does that wicked pace continue in Game 2? That’s the big question as we size up our favorite NBA playoff prop picks for Friday night.
Read below for our free Pacers vs Knicks picks.
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Knicks vs. Pacers Best Prop Bets for Game 2
Jalen Brunson Over 2.5 point 3-point makes (+114 at DraftKings)
About the only thing that Jalen Brunson didn’t do well in Game 1 was go off from 3-point range, going 1-for-6 en route to his game-high 43 points.
Taking Brunson to go for 30 is a decent prop bet, but he’s getting plus odds to hit three moneyballs in Game 2.
This isn’t a rare occurrence for him in these playoffs. Brunson has hit at least three 3-pointers in seven games in the postseason.
Perhaps the trend that I’m banking on will continue Friday: that is, he’s hit exactly one 3-pointer in three previous games these playoffs, and has followed that up with at least three 3-point hits the following game.
Josh Hart Over 9.5 rebounds (-135 at DraftKings)
Death, taxes, and Josh Hart pulling down 10 rebounds against the Pacers.
New York’s do-everything wing pulled down 13 boards in Game 1. In each of the nine games he’s playedagainst Indiana since joining the Knicks, Hart has grabbed at least 10 rebounds.
In fact, he’s only had one single-digit rebounding game against the Pacers in the last 13 times he’s played them: pulling down three in a March 2022 game while a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Rebounding is one of the advantages New York has in this series, and Hart should continue to play a big part in that equation.
Obi Toppin Over 3.5 rebounds (-120 at DraftKings)
Maybe we underestimated just how badly Obi Toppin wanted to show out against the team that originally drafted him.
Toppin made some big shots, most notably a double-clutch dunk in the late stages of overtime to push the lead to three points.
But he also led the Pacers in rebounding, pulling down 10 boards in just 20 minutes of work.
Toppin has a light 3.5 rebounding line in Game 2, and it’s a figure he’s crossed just three times in these playoffs.
However, his board work will be needed against New York’s relentless rebounding, and Toppin is one of the few big men Rick Carlisle can count on in his rotation behind Myles Turner.