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André Snellings
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André Snellings
ESPN Senior Writer
- Dr. André Snellings is a senior writer for men’s and women’s fantasy basketball and sports betting at ESPN. André has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Michigan. He joined ESPN in 2017 after a 16-year career as a neural engineer, during which time he was also a writer and analyst for Rotowire.
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Eric Moody
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Eric Moody
ESPN Writer
- Eric Moody is a writer for fantasy football, men’s and women’s basketball, and sports betting at ESPN. Eric joined ESPN in 2021 after working as a senior fantasy analyst at Pro Football Network. Prior to that, he spent much of his career as a manager at a Fortune 100 financial services company.
The much-anticipated Eastern Conference Finals start tonight as the Indiana Pacers head to Madison Square Garden to take on the New York Knicks. These two rivals are meeting for the fourth time with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line, with the Knicks winning in 1994 and 1999, while the Pacers won in 2000.
Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton have been the top performers for their respective teams, as the Pacers dispatched the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, while the Knicks eliminated the defending champion Boston Celtics to make it here.
Here are some of the bets that stand out for Wednesday night’s game.
Odds are as of publication time. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET
Indiana Pacers over 110.5 points (-105) This 1990s rivalry returns with a twist, as both teams surpassed higher seeds to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers have averaged 117.7 PPG this postseason, second best overall, and rank third in pace. Despite a break since May 13, the Pacers should come out fast. With Tyrese Haliburton’s playmaking, Pascal Siakam’s versatility, and the ability to exploit mismatches against Brunson and Towns, Indiana’s offense is built to challenge New York’s slower defense. The Pacers have cleared this line in eight of their past 10 playoff games and are well-positioned to do it again in Game 1. -Moody
Karl-Anthony Towns over 22.5 points (-105) Towns has a long history of dominant performances against Myles Turner and the Indiana Pacers, going back to when he dropped a combined 70 points and 22 rebounds in two games against them back in 2017. His more recent history has been just as strong, averaging 30.2 PPG in his past 11 games against the Pacers with at least 23 points in nine of those 11. This season, with the Knicks, Towns averaged 30.3 PPG in three games, dropping 30 and 40 in their last two meetings. -Snellings
Tyrese Haliburton under 8.5 assists (+105) While Haliburton is one of the best distributors in the NBA, he doesn’t tend to rack up large assist numbers against the Knicks. In Haliburton’s past 10 games against the Knicks, including last season’s playoffs and this regular season, he has averaged 7.6 APG while dishing nine or more in only three of the 10 games. The Knicks’ style of defense is difficult for point guards to rack up assists against; this season, the Knicks gave up only 8.0 assists per game to opposing point guards, the seventh-fewest in the NBA. -Snellings
3:07
Stephen A., Mad Dog debate what a title would mean for Haliburton
Stephen A. Smith and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo disagree about what a Pacers title would mean for Tyrese Haliburton.
Projections and Injury Reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET
Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks
8 p.m. ET
Line: Pacers 4.5 (-110) | Knicks -4.5 (-110)
Money line: Pacers +155 | Knicks -185
Total: 223.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
BPI Projection: Knicks by 0.8, straight up 53%, 223.8 total points.
Injury Report:
Pacers: Isaiah Jackson, (OFS – Achilles)
Knicks: None reported
