NBA Basketball BETTING PREVIEW - Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks

NBA Basketball

2026-02-10 - Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks

A Sports Betting Preview by FirstDown

Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks
United States : NBA Basketball
Tuesday 10th February 2025 - Scheduled 7:30pm
12:30am (British Time)

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Preview

Who knows what might have happened in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals if Tyrese Haliburton had not suffered an injury that will cost him the entirety of this season? The Indiana Pacers (13-40) will believe that they would have done just enough to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder having rallied to force a Game 7 and having led in that one into half time, but they always anticipated the 2026 season would be incredibly tough without Haliburton on the roster.

Unfortunately for the Pacers that is how it has panned out with the team slumping to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and already thinking about next season.

Trading for Ivica Zubac just prior to the deadline looks like an interesting move and one that will help the Pacers when Tyrese Haliburton is fully healthy. Others have tried to step up for the team, but it has been a challenging year all around and the focus will already be on October.

Ivica Zubac has yet to suit up for the Pacers since arriving from the LA Clippers and he is listed as Questionable and Indiana have lost four in a row as they prepare to play this penultimate game before the All Star Break.

This will be the second regular season meeting between the Pacers and the New York Knicks (34-19) and the first to be played at Madison Square Garden. There has never been much love from the crowd for the Pacers, but the intensity may be even higher than usual considering New York have not hosted Indiana since losing in the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

Despite the heavy loss to the Detroit Pistons on Friday, the Knicks have been in very good form for a couple of weeks going into the All Star Break. The players have refused to let trade talk distract them and ultimately it was decided by Upper Management that they will this current roster is constructed in a strong enough fashion to win a Championship.

Blowing out the Boston Celtics on Sunday is a confidence booster following the defeat in Detroit, while the Knicks are still focused on securing a top four place in the Eastern Conference to earn at least one home Playoff Series. That is important considering the very different records this New York team have produced at home compared with the road.

In recent games, the Knicks have been really strong on both sides of the court and that is going to be key when it comes to covering this spread.

It is a big mark without a doubt, but the Knicks have won plenty of recent games by double digits and they are 9-1 against the spread in the last ten. Most telling is that they have covered lines of 12.5, 15.5 and 13 points in that time, while the Indiana Pacers struggled to be competitive in their latest defeat at the Toronto Raptors.

Overall you have to respect the fact that the Pacers have continued to work hard even when the results have not been there, but they may be a little short-handed and distracted by the upcoming break. With the Knicks likely focused to give the Madison Square Garden crowd something to cheer against this opponent, they may have too much on both sides of the court that allows New York to eventually pull clear.

Prediction

Lay the points with the home favourite in this one.

The Pick :

New York Knicks 114-99 Indiana Pacers

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back New York Knicks - 12 Points at -105 with Bovada