The conference round of the NBA Playoffs resumes with one standalone matchup on Saturday night, as Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Pacers takes center stage at 8:00 p.m. ET on TNT.
Our staff of basketball betting experts dug into the latest odds and identified 5 NBA picks for tonight's contest. Continue below for our NBA best bets and predictions for Saturday, May 31.
NBA Playoffs Best Bets, Picks, Predictions: Saturday, May 31
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Specific betting recommendations come from the sportsbook offering preferred odds as of writing. Always shop for the best price using our NBA Odds page, which automatically surfaces the best lines for every game. | ||
Knicks vs. Pacers
By Joe Dellera
One of the biggest adjustments the Knicks made last game was where they started picking up Haliburton defensively.
He was getting picked up on average around halfcourt, which makes it harder to effectively pass to someone who is in a scoring position.
Additionally, the Knicks were face-guarding him with Mikal Bridges. They were denying him the ball and playing extremely physical defense.
This was done in an effort to just prevent the ball from even getting into his hands.
Between the general ball-denial and the strategy to pick him up earlier, he can still make effective passes, but they may lead to more hockey assists than actual assists here.
His potentials dropped tremendously in Game 5 with only 10 leading to 6 assists.
The Pacers playing more Mathurin is worse for Hali’s assists as well because he is someone that can score on his own in isolation.
I’ll bet under 10.5 assists, and while this could go wrong fast with someone of Haliburton’s passing chops, the defensive change is there to see a bit of a dip.
Pick: Tyrese Haliburton Under 10.5 Assists (-135)
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Knicks vs. Pacers
By Alex Hinton
Josh Hart averaged 9.6 rebounds per game in the regular season, essentially matching this line.
He has had no problems getting to 10 against the Pacers. Hart had 10 rebounds in all three regular season meetings against Indiana, as well as four of the first five games in this series.
Even coming off the bench has not prevented Hart from clearing this line, and it actually it may help him.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau moved Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup because of his impact on the glass and the defensive end. However, he has still only played 39 minutes in the last two games.
Hart is still seeing his usual allotment of minutes (35 per game in the series), but now some of them have come with only one of Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns on the floor opposed to both.
That has still given him a lot of rebound opportunities and he has averaged 17.6 rebound chances in this series. If Hart has 17 or 18 rebound chances tonight, I like his chances to grab 10 of them.
Pick: Josh Hart Over 9.5 Rebounds (+105)
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Knicks vs. Pacers
The Pacers got 37 points from their starters and scored under 100 points last game. The Knicks played their best 48 minutes in this series in a desperation home spot.
I'm not sure either of those happen again, but at a minimum, I do think Indy starts better than they did on the road in Game 5.
The Knicks finally controlled the tempo of an entire game, but the Pacers haven't started a game like that twice in a row yet.
I'm consistent with this in the playoffs: The bounce-back spot is often in the first half. It isn't to say the Knicks will come back and win late, but with these two teams in particular you just don't know.
The Pacers didn't generate their typical offense, shot poorly from three despite some open looks, and turned the ball over an abnormal amount.
The Knicks were better from start to finish, but haven't been that consistent since Game 6 against the Celtics.
Their defense looked outstanding, which we've only otherwise seen this series in the second half of Game 3.
The Pacers have covered in the first half after all three of their playoff losses prior to tonight. I'm backing the trend to continue for a fourth time tonight.
Pick: Pacers First Half Spread -1.5 (-115)
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Knicks vs. Pacers
This is a prime Pacers spot.
