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New York not only lost to Boston 102-96 its last time out as a 7.5-point home favorite, it lost Carmelo Anthony for this game due a league suspension for altercations with Kevin Garnett. It was the Knicks third loss in their last five games both straight-up and against the spread and they are now 23-11 SU and 17-16-1 ATS overall. Their record on the road this season is 10-7 SU (7-9-1 ATS) and the total has gone OVER in four of their last five games.

With their leading scorer out of the lineup and Raymond Felton still on the shelf with a broken finger, the Knicks will turn to JR Smith and Tyson Chandler to try and fill the void. Smith has come off the bench to average 16.9 points and 5.2 rebounds a game and Chandler is the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 12.8 points a game. New York will also need a big effort from the rest of its bench which has been a strong suit of this team all season long.

Indiana has worked its way to the top of the Central Division with an 8-2 record in its last 10 games. It is now 21-14 SU overall and 13-3 SU at home. The Pacers have gone 19-16 ATS and the total has stayed UNDER in seven of their last eight games. They are averaging just 91.2 points a game but are ranked second in the NBA in points allowed; giving-up just 89.5 points a game to their opponents.

Paul George and David West are each averaging 16.7 points a game with George Hill chipping-in another 14.7 points to form a solid trio of scorers for Indiana. Hill has been suffering from an illness but is considered probable for this game. Roy Hibbert has done a good job under the boards with a team-high 8.4 rebounds and also leads the team in blocks with 2.7 a game. The Pacers are another team with some solid depth on their bench led by Gerald Green and Tyler Hansbrough.

Prediction

The Knicks have already proven this season they can win with Anthony on the sideline, but it will be a tall task against such a balanced team as Indiana, especially with Felton missing as well. Look for Indiana to take full advantage of New York’s depleted lineup to grind-out another victory but the play remains with the Knicks to cover with the five points.
Indiana 94 New York 92