Indiana Pacers vs New York Knicks: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

When: Friday, January 11th, 7:30 PM EST

How (TV/Radio): ESPN, Fox Sports Indiana | 1070 The Fan/107.5 FM

Indiana Pacers (Away)

Head Coach: Nate McMillan {All-Time 595-539 | SEA, POR, IND}

The Indiana Pacers are somehow easily forgotten, but they are currently sitting comfortably in third place in the Eastern Conference. Recently overtaking the Philadelphia 76ers in the rankings, the Pacers are an absolute force in the Eastern Conference.

At the exact halfway point in the season, the Indiana Pacers are exactly where they want to be. Of course number one would be preferred, the early season loss of Oladipo allowed the team to unite without him and they are now playing splendidly upon his return.

The Knicks are once again a lowly team in the Eastern Conference. They still maintain interesting isolation options, however the Indiana Pacers defence, barring a collapse should have no problem dispatching the Knicks.

New York Knicks (Home)

Head Coach: David Fizdale {All-Time 60-82 | MEM, NYK}

The New York Knicks are maintaining their recent history sitting at fourteenth in the Eastern Conference. With a record of 10-31 they are nowhere near any modicum of success, but are surely in the race to the number one pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

The Knicks are 1-9 in their last ten matches. While they took an inspired win over the short-handed Los Angeles Lakers, they’ve gone back to their recent what are you saying? and lost the last two games on their Western Conference road trip.

It will be a slight relief for the Knicks as they return home for the first time after playing six straight games on the road, five of those on the West Coast. While the New York fans can be brutal toward their own team, home court may be the only thing working in the Knicks favour.

What’s At Stake?

A heated historical rivalry continues as the Indiana Pacers face off against the New York Knicks. The Knicks lead the tightly contested all-time series 91-85 over the Pacers.

The Indiana Pacers are just 1.5 games out from taking the second spot from the Milwaukee Bucks. A win would place them just half a game back from overtaking the Bucks.

A win for the New York Knicks would place them just above the Chicago Bulls at thirteenth in the Eastern Conference.

Questions to answer

Can the Pacers maintain their offensive efficiency?

Where can the Knicks beat the Pacers?

We are going to compare the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks in an attempt to see who has the advantage in this matchup.

The Pacers are 5th in three-point percentage

Despite having a wealth of options on the attacking half of the basketball court, the Indiana Pacers have one of the slowest paces in the league. While playmaking is usually handled by Victor Oladipo, Darren Collison, or Cory Joseph, they focus on a slower efficient offence to generate easy open looks.

Their strategy is evidenced by their impressive shooting percentages. 30th in three-point makes and 28th in attempts, the Pacers are still fifth in overall percentage. Meanwhile within the arc they are ninth in attempts, seventh in conversions, and tenth in overall two-point percentage.

The Pacers run an egalitarian offence headed by Oladipo as the main playmaker and flanked by capable finishers inside and shooters on the outside. Very few teams have been able to figure out the Pacers offence, merely due to the fact that the quality of their roster is so high.

The Knicks are 6th in turnover percentage and 12th in offensive rebound percentage

If there’s one thing the Knicks do it is score in isolation. The New York Knicks have great options individually from the post to the wing. They are able to attack from the inside via Enes Kanter or from the wing with the likes of Tim Hardaway Jr or Emmanuel Mudiay.

The benefit of their one-on-one nature is the fact that they are able to keep their hands on the ball. Their amount of turnovers is limited due to there being less movement of the ball thus less opportunity for interception or unforced error.

The Knicks are also a young energetic team and it shows on the offensive glass. Considering three to four players on the Knicks roster are forced to the offensive boards for chances, the team does a great job to keep their intensity level high.

Indiana Pacers Roster Notes

C Ike Anigbogu – Out (Knee) – Anigbogu has been ruled OUT for Tuesday’s (Jan 8) game against the Cavaliers.

G Darren Collison – Day To Day (Sore Right Leg) – Collison is Questionable for Tuesday’s (Jan 8) game.

G Cory Joseph – Day To Day (Thigh) – Joseph is listed as Questionable for Tuesday’s (Jan 8) game.

C Myles Turner – Day To Day (Sore right shoulder) – Turner is listed as Questionable for Tuesday’s (Jan 8) game.

New York Knicks Roster Notes

G Frank Ntilikina – Out (Left Ankle Strain) – Ntilikina left Friday’s (Jan 4) game against the Lakers and will not return.

F-C Kristaps Porzingis – Out (Knee) – The Knicks announced that Porzingis is making progress and will be re-evaluated in mid-February.

C Mitchell Robinson – Day To Day (Left Ankle) – Robinson has been ruled OUT for Monday’s (Jan 7) game.

Head-to-Head: Victor Oladipo vs Tim Hardaway Jr

Victor Oladipo

Shooting Guard | 6-4, 210lb (193cm, 95kg) | Indiana | Exp: 6 Years

20.0 PPG | 5.3 APG | 6.0 RPG | 1.7 SPG | 0.4 BPG | 2.3 TOV | .433 FG% | .337 3P%

Tim Hardaway Jr

Shooting Guard | 6-6, 205lb (198cm, 92kg) | Michigan | Exp: 6 Years

20.0 PPG | 2.7 APG | 2.8 RPG | 0.9 SPG | 0.1 BPG | 2.0 TOV | .392 FG% | .347 3P%

Two dynamic shooting guards take each other on in this historical NBA matchup. The Knicks and Pacers meet again led by Victor Oladipo and Tim Hardaway Jr. Both are the engines that drive their teams offence, but commit themselves to their team in very different what are you saying?.

An early-season injury derailed Victor Oladipo’s momentum a bit but allowed for a great amount of introspection and team success for the Pacers as a whole. While he stepped back when he returned to ease himself back into the process, he’s been back in fine form in recent games. As explosive as ever and fully committed to the abilities of his teammates, Oladipo is leading his team to success.

Tim Hardaway Jr is not only the Knicks go-to scorer, but he has been their go to closer. In plays with less than three-minutes to go in the quarter, Hardaway’s field-goals are unassisted 71% of the time. Regardless, his shooting percentage actually increases in late-quarter scenarios from 39% before three minutes to 44% with less than three minutes to go. Should the Knicks be able to force a tight game, Hardaway will surely be their first option.

Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks Predictions and Odds

The odds will be updated as they are made available.