Pacers vs. Knicks Odds, Picks & Betting Predictions: Will Victor Oladipo Shine at Madison Square Garden?

Pacers at Knicks Picks, Betting Odds & Predictions

• Spread: Pacers -6.5
• Over/Under: 211.5
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Odds as of Friday. Betting Pacers-Knicks in Indiana or New Jersey? Check out FanDuel and get up to a $500 risk-free bet at FanDuel today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.

The Indiana Pacers make their return from the all-star break on the road at Madison Square Garden against a New York Knicks team that has played them tough in two games this season.

Pacers star Victor Oladipo will play in just his eighth game this season. Can he he and the Pacers kick off the second half of their season with a road win?

Our betting experts preview the matchup below.

Betting Trend to Know

The Pacers have been one of the best teams in the NBA this season at covering in road games. They are 15-11 against the spread away from home, good for fifth-best in the NBA this season. As road favorites, they have covered in five consecutive games and are 8-6 ATS this season.

Matt LaMarca: All About Oladipo

This is an interesting matchup between two teams trending in opposite directions, but not in the way you might think.

The Knicks are a poor team, but they were playing some of their best basketball heading into the All-Star break. They’ve won four of their past six games — including a win vs. the Pacers — and one of their two losses came in double overtime.

Meanwhile, the Pacers lost six of their final seven games heading into the All-Star break. They have struggled specifically with integrating Victor Oladipo into the lineup. They’ve been 13.4-points worse per 100 possessions with Oladipo on the court this season, and he’s shot just 32.9% from the field and 24.4% from 3-point range since returning from injury. He’s also led the team in usage during that time frame, so his inefficiency has really hurt the team.

That said, it’s tough to see that continuing forever. Oladipo was one of the Pacers’ most important players last season. He’s still not a particularly efficient scorer, but he still led the team in Net Rating differential last season. The Pacers were +4.1 points per 100 possessions better with Oladipo on the court, so his presence should be a good thing in the long run.

While the Pacers are getting healthier, the Knicks are dealing with a key injury at the moment. Elfrid Payton has been one of the few bright spots for the Knicks this season, and he’s been ruled out with a right ankle injury. The Knicks have been +7.0 points per 100 possessions better with Payton on the court, which is the top mark on the squad.

Second on the team? That would be Marcus Morris (+6.9 points per 100 possessions), who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Clippers. Overall, the Knicks have been outscored by more than 10 points per 100 possessions with both players off the court this season. That doesn’t bode well for their success tonight vs. the Pacers.

I like the idea of buying low on the Pacers, who are probably a bit undervalued given their recent struggles. Oladipo should only get better as he gets further removed from his injury, and a matchup vs. the Knicks could be just what the doctor ordered.

Pacers vs. Knicks Betting System Pick

Based on the Fade Tanking Teams PRO Betting System, the Knicks are ripe for fading tonight against the Pacers.

As you can see, late in the season (defined as game numbers 55 and beyond), the league's worst teams (win percentage below 40%) are terrible performers as home dogs against those still jockeying for playoff positioning, like the Pacers.

At the time of writing, more than 80% of bettors are laying the points with Indiana, and history says this is a good spot to pivot off a contrarian betting strategy and side with the masses. — PJ Walsh

PRO System Pick: Pacers (-6.5)

[Bet now at FanDuel. NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]

Editor’s note: The opinions on this game are from the individual writers and are based on their research, analysis and perspective. They are independent of, and may not always match with, the algorithm-driven Best Bets from Sports Insights.