The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers face off Thursday night in an Eastern Conference matchup in the NBA. The Knicks arrive in Indianapolis after an impressive run through the NBA Cup, while the Pacers are struggling to stay competitive amid key absences this season. Before this rematch of last year's Eastern Conference Finals tips off at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, you can find my Knicks vs Pacers prediction below.
Our Knicks vs Pacers Pick
- Pick: New York Knicks -4.5
- Confidence: ★★★★☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: New York Knicks @ Indiana Pacers
- Date & Time: Thursday, December 18, 2025, 7:00 PM ET
- Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Broadcast: NBA League Pass
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Key Storylines
- The Knicks have been excellent this season with an 18-7 record and momentum from winning the NBA Cup earlier this week over the San Antonio Spurs. The question going into this game will be how the Knicks perform in their first outing since winning the cup.
- New York’s dynamic duo of Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns is producing at elite levels. But they had a ton of support in the cup final from players like OG Anunoby and Tyler Kolek. That depth has been the difference for the Knicks this season.
- Indiana is dealing with significant absences including Tyrese Haliburton, Obi Toppin, and Aaron Nesmith. Indiana looks a lot different than they did when they defeated the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
- The Knicks' rotation may be affected by questionable tags for Towns, Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Mitchell Robinson. It's possible that we see a lot of Knicks rested after their run through the NBA Cup in Las Vegas over the past week or so.
- The Pacers have struggled offensively, ranking near the bottom of the league in scoring and possessing a negative point differential. They will try to get things going against a Knicks team that might not be hyper-focused on this game.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
- This is the first meeting between these teams this season after the Pacers defeated the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals last year.
- The Knicks are an NBA-best 18-8 against the spread this season.
- Indiana is 13-13 against the spread going into this matchup.
- The Knicks have gone over the total in 14 of their 26 games (14-12).
- The under is 17-9 in Pacers game this year.
Best Player Props to Watch
Player | Prop |
|---|
Jalen Brunson | Over 30.5 points |
Pascal Siakam | Over 24.5 points |
Knicks vs Pacers Model Projection
Score Projection: New York Knicks 118 – Indiana Pacers 107
Win Probability: Knicks 62%, Pacers 38%
Final Thoughts
I would strongly recommend that bettors wait to see which players are available and which players are not available before locking in any bets on this game. The Knicks could end up sitting a ton of players, which would make betting them a bad idea. But if the Knicks play their top weapons, I expect them to win and cover the spread on the road.
Jay Sanin
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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