Knicks vs. Pacers Predictions: Indiana, Josh Hart is the best bet for the playoff game on Wednesday, May 8

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The second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs has already been great, and both fans and bettors will be glued to their televisions tonight for Game 2 of the Knicks vs. Pacers (8:00 p.m. ET, TNT/Sling).

If you're looking for an edge at BetMGM tonight, Sporting News has identified several spreads, player edges and over/under opportunities for tonight's doubleheader.

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The Knicks secured an early series lead over Indiana on Monday thanks to late heroics from Villanova WildKnicks Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart – not to mention a controversial moving screen call against Myles Turner. New York is at -5.5 tonight with Indy likely to bring the heat.

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Let's get straight to the best moneyline, spread, over/under and player prop bets for Tuesday.

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Pacers +5.5 at Knicks (-110)

Have you seen Game 1 of this series!? Do oddsmakers!? The Knicks narrowly escaped with a four-point win, and our best bets column on Monday featured New York's -2.5 alternative, which we came within a hair's breadth of falling short of. Five and a hook seems like way too many points to give to an Indiana team that is confident, up-tempo and most likely pissed off.

Fittingly, the Pacers picked up the tempo in Game 1, forcing New York to make mistakes while taking care of the basketball. Indy took advantage of the Knicks' mistakes with fast break points and kept pressure on Brunson throughout the game. Without Myles Turner's crucial effort, Rick Carlisle's side might have conquered the home team in this series.

MORE: Breaking down the Myles Turner moving screen call in Game 1

The Pacers got next to nothing from Tyrese Haliburton, while New York got a fourth straight 40-yarder from Jalen Brunson. It is clear that Hali is a prime candidate for positive regression, while Brunson has to cool down from this heater at some point.

Carlisle isn't a slacker – he's the man who helped Haliburton And Brunson has gone from good to great — and he should devise a game plan that keeps Indiana at least closer than five points at the final whistle.

FINAL POINT PREDICTION: Knicks 112Pacers 108 – New York wins (-210), but Indiana covers the +5.5 spread (-115) and the final score is just UNDER the projected total (220.5).

MORE: With OG Anunoby, the Knicks were nearly unstoppable

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Pacers OVER 52.5 points in the first half at the Knicks (-105)

The Pacers have averaged 61.3 first-half points per game since the start of the 2023-24 season, second only to the No. 1 seed Celtics. With Indiana reeling from a Game 1 loss after coming so close to an upset, expect Tyrese Haliburton and Co. to pick up the tempo early and often and get right back into the swing of things.

Indiana scored 55 first-half points against the Knicks in Game 1 last week and 59 first-half points in the decisive opening game against the Bucks last week. They scored 60 points in the first half of Game 2 of this Bucks series and 67 in the first halves of Games 3 and 4. That feels like a modest first-half prediction that just screams for action.

HALF-TIME PREDICTION: Pacemaker 55Knicks 52 – Indiana wins the first half (+140) and covers the first half spread of +2.5 (-110) while exceeding its team total of 52.5 in the first half (-105).

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Josh Hart assists: 7+ (+150)

One of the key ingredients that helped New York win Game 1 on Monday was Josh Hart pushing the ball down the floor in transition. He also rarely shoots the ball from deep, so you can usually count on him trying to play for others rather than take the goal into his own hands.

Hart has 15 assists in the Knicks' last two games, both wins. In fact, New York has won five straight games in which Hart pocketed seven or more dimes. He conceded the rebound OVER we recommended for Game 1 – we're betting he'll concede again in Game 2 if he records seven or more assists.

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