Docs Website

53 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

Free NBA Picks New York Knicks: Season-Long Handicapping and Specialization 5/8/2024

by Spencer Toth - 5/8/2024

Free NBA picks New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers Myles Turner

All season long, Doc’s Sports will be breaking down every single New York Knicks game, providing best bets along the way. By using in-depth knowledge on the team, and the league as a whole, we will be able to stay in the green.

On Monday night, the Knicks took the first game of the series by a score of 121-117. Jalen Brunson continued his torrid run of form, scoring 43 points. He is now the second player in NBA history to score 39+ points in 5 straight playoff games, joining Jerry West in that exclusive club. Brunson’s impact on the offensive end is remarkable, and he has truly transformed the culture in New York.

Doc’s Sports offers NBA picks for every game on our NBA predictions page.

The Knicks Game 1 victory wasn’t without controversy. There were some questionable, non-reviewable calls in the late stages of the fourth quarter. With the game knotted up at 115 with 52 seconds to go, the Knicks were gifted a generous kicked ball call after Brunson should’ve been called with a turnover. Then, with 12 seconds to go, and the Pacers trailing 118-117, a very loose offensive foul was called on Myles Turner. After the Pacers fouled Brunson before the ball was inbounded, the Knicks suddenly had a 2-point lead, with a pair of free throws to come. Brunson iced the game, giving the Knicks a two-possession lead, as New York eked out a Game 1 victory.

From a betting perspective, we had a second straight 2-0 night. We correctly avoided the 6-point spread and stuck with the Knicks moneyline for the first bet of the night. It was quite the sweat, and New York had to claw back from a 55-49 halftime deficit to get the win. A half court heave from Isiah Hartenstein to close out the half kept the deficit manageable, and the Knicks were able to grind out the win. For the second bet of the night, we took Tyrese Haliburton Over 2.5 turnovers. Haliburton entered the fourth quarter without a turnover, but 3 turnovers in the final 4 minutes allowed the prop to cash.

Tonight, the Knicks will look to jump out to a 2-0 series lead on their home court. The Pacers will feel hard done by after the nature of their Game 1 loss and will surely be coming out with a little extra intensity to kick things off. The Pacers had 6 players in double digit scoring in Game 1, but Haliburton was not one of them. After getting off to a red-hot start to the season, Haliburton has slowed down dramatically. His impact on the offensive end has been limited, and he got just 6 points with 8 assists in Game 1. Instead, the Pacers have been turning to their size, leaning on Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner. Turner will consistently chip in points, but he is unable to generate his own offense in isolation like Siakam can. Siakam has the length to trouble the Knicks, and when he finds himself in single coverage, he usually can put up a quality shot.

The Knicks lost Bojan Bogdanovic to a season ending injury before this series began, and their short rotation was dealt more devastating injury news heading into Game 2. Mitchell Robinson will be out at least 6 weeks, effectively ending his season with New York. After missing 50 regular season games, Robinson’s return was a massive addition and allowed the Knicks to power to the #2 seed in the East. With Robinson, Bogdanovic, and Julius Randle all out, the Knicks rotation is in serious danger of costing them a deep playoff run. They will have Miles McBride coming off the bench and will now be forced to turn to Precious Achiuwa for serious meaningful minutes. Even that still gives them just a 7-man rotation, and head coach Tom Thibodeau does not want someone like Jericho Sims or Alec Burks playing meaningful playoff minutes. They can survive with Achiuwa as the 7th man. However, if any starter goes down with even a minor injury, New York will be cooked.

In tonight’s game, the Knicks will look to limit the Pacers offense after giving up 117 points in Game 1. New York prides themselves on their stout defense, and shutting down the Pacers offensively will give them a great chance to pull out another victory. Indiana has a high flying offense, but struggles on the defensive end. New York will be able to score 110+ points on most nights in this series, and if they can slow down the Pacers, they will cruise into the next round. The loss of Robinson will hurt their interior defense, but Hartenstein is capable of defending effectively without fouling. Foul trouble is something the Knicks can certainly not afford, as their roster is already extremely stretched at this stage of the season.

The spread has gone down from 6 points in Game 1, to just 4.5 in favor of the home team. New York is still a deserving favorite, but in another tight game, we will grab the free buckets with the visitors. The Pacers are the healthier, more motivated team heading into this one, and I expect them to hold the lead for a majority of the night. The +160 moneyline is tempting, but in what promises to be a tight contest, I would much rather have some free points in the back pocket for insurance. Haliburton will bounce back, and the Knicks are vulnerable to getting pounded inside. Haliburton may be cold from a scoring perspective, but he still keeps his head up, and can often find the open man if the Knicks collapse in the paint.

For the second bet of the night, we will be targeting Precious Achiuwa. Achiuwa will be featured tonight with Robinson out, and his lines feel a little bit soft for a man expected to play 20+ minutes. He is a rock-solid defender, and we will be targeting both his rebounds and blocks. The rebound line is set at 4.5 rebounds, and Achiuwa averages one rebound for every 2.8 minutes he’s been on the court in the last 15 games. If Achiuwa plays 15+ minutes, he shouldn’t have a problem hauling in 5+ boards. His block line is set at 0.5, juiced evenly to both sides. Once again, Achiuwa will get plenty of minutes, and will be able to put in enough work on the defensive end to cash these props.

Pick: Indiana Pacers (+4.5) 1 Unit

Pick: Precious Achiuwa Over 4.5 Rebounds 2 Units

Pick: Precious Achiuwa Over 0.5 Blocks 1 Unit

2023-24 Season record:

ML Record: 14-5

Spread Record: 24-22

Total Record: 17-15

Player Props Record: 22-38

Total: 77-80

Up 1.8 Units

Get NBA picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bet premium picks by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

 

Most Recent NBA Handicapping

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers