After a devastating loss in Game 1 of the 2025 Indiana Pacers in Game 2 on Friday.
Here are four expert player prop picks for this matchup, including a scoring prop for Knicks All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns taking the OVER (-110) on May 23.
Aaron Nesmith OVER 17.5 Points + Rebounds vs. Knicks (-120 at Sportsbook)
Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, 8 p.m. ET
Aaron Nesmith's historical Game 1 outburst makes betting on him less than 24 hours later incredibly complicated. The 25-year-old guard shot 8-of-9 from 3-point range with six triples coming in the fourth quarter alone, making him the first player in league history to convert that many shots from distance during the final 12 minutes of regulation in a playoff game. Only five other players had ever pulled that off in a postseason quarter before, but none of them did so in the fourth. Oddsmakers currently have his 3-pointers made prop at 2.5 with an OVER at plus money, but removing Game 1 from the equation, Nesmith had failed to make three or more versus the Knicks nine times in a row prior to going scorched earth with eight.
The safer and more sensible play is to throw together his points and rebounds for Game 2, as he's demonstrated far greater consistency in that department. Nesmith is averaging 16 points and 6.1 rebounds through 11 games, and has notched an OVER at 17.5 for this market eight times in the playoffs. He only had two rebounds on Wednesday, but did have 13 in Game 5 against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semifinals, so he's more than capable of producing more on the glass.
Pascal Siakam To Record 2+ Steals vs. Knicks (+310 at Sportsbook)
Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, 8 p.m. ET
This is one of those bets where the value would lead you to believe that the likelihood of it making money isn't all that high, especially with it being a defensive prop when steals and blocks don't come in large quantities. When you really dig deep, though, accumulating two steals isn't that tall of a mountain to climb, especially for someone like Pacers forward Pascal Siakam who just had two in Game 1, along with the fact that that New York is turning the rock over 13.1 times at home in the playoffs.
Siakam also had two steals the last time these teams squared off on Feb. 11, as well, just before the All-Star break. He spent most of his time defensively paired off with former Toronto Raptors teammate O.G. Anunoby, forcing him into a pair of turnovers and minimal shot attempts. That should once again continue to be the case on Friday, which will create even more chances to tally up steals and reward those juicy +310 odds.
Karl-Anthony Towns OVER 23.5 Points vs. Pacers (-110 at Sportsbook)
Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, 8 p.m. ET
The one player prop which connected for Game 1 was an OVER for Towns at 33.5 combined points and rebounds at -128 value, as he ultimately finished with a double-double of 35 points and 12 rebounds across 39 minutes of action. It was Towns' highest-scoring performance of the postseason thus far, and the first time he had dropped 35 or more points in a game since Feb. 12 when he put 44 on the Atlanta Hawks in an overtime home victory. The logic for the OVER at the time was that the Pacers were one of just two teams (Chicago Bulls) that Towns played at least three times during the regular season and averaged better than 30 points against.
Trusting his success in those three meetings to translate to the playoffs paid off in the end, and Indiana once again proved that there's little in place to prevent Towns from scoring to his heart's content. Keep in mind, though, that the 7-footer last went OVER a prop of 23.5 points during Game 4 of the opening round against the Detroit Pistons, so it had been 24 days between successful wagers. The optimism that Towns can string together consecutive OVERs comes from this series likely continuing to be full of offense and knowing how unstoppable he's proven to be in this particular matchup.
Josh Hart OVER 9.5 Rebounds vs. Pacers (-136 at Sportsbook)
Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, 8 p.m. ET
Unfortunately, unlike the combination prop for Towns which hit in Game 1, one that didn't was Josh Hart going OVER 21.5 points and rebounds in front of a raucous Knicks crowd. It's not like Hart fell so incredibly short that it wasn't worth the risk, because his box score at the end of the night said he contributed eight points and 13 boards in 44 minutes, and that was with an extra five minutes of overtime in which he played every single second of. That's a cruel result finishing one number short of boosting units, but that's the fate which befell me on Wednesday and one I'll be making a small adjustment to in order to avoid it happening again.
Rather than seeking out another combination prop, I'll be focusing solely on Hart's rebounding which he currently ranks second on New York in at 8.8 boards per contest. He's now grabbed at least 11 rebounds in back-to-back appearances, and most importantly, has contributed double-digit boards in four-straight games against the Pacers connecting back to the 2024-25 campaign.
