New York Knicks Fancied By Odds To Roll Over Eliminated Indiana Pacers

RJ Barrett, New York Knicks — The Knicks try to get another win as they build momentum heading into the NBA playoffs. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

KEY POINTS

The Knicks are heavily favored to snag its fifth-straight win against the eliminated Pacers
Tom Thibodeau is aware that the Knicks may get the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference
Rick Carlisle remains upbeat despite the Pacers failing to advance to the playoffs

The New York Knicks are safely into the NBA playoffs and appear to have secured the fifth seed as the 2022-23 regular season nears its close.

The Knicks are on a four-game winning streak and are heavily favored over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, April 5, with tip-off starting at 7:00 p.m. E.T. at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

New York is a -9 favorite to prevail over host Indiana according to oddsmakers at USA Today. The Moneyline set for this matchup is -410 for the Knicks and +330 for the Pacers.

These two teams have already met twice this regular season, with the Knicks winning on both occasions.

New York's last triumph came at the expense of the Washington Wizards, 118-109.

In that game, Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes finished with identical 27 points. The former added assists to his credit to help the Knicks register its fourth-consecutive win.

"We just had to wake up a little bit," Brunson said in a report by ESPN. "We needed a little wake-up call at halftime and Coach gave it to us and we responded. Better to learn from wins than from losses."

The Knicks missed the services of Julius Randle, who will be out for two weeks due to a sprained left ankle according to a report from Heavy.com.

RJ Barrett was also absent due to a non-COVID-related illness.

With only three games to go, New York has a lock on the fifth spot and will most likely face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the postseason.

It remains to be seen if Knicks' coach Tom Thibodeau would opt to play his bench players more with their regular season practically settled.

As for Indiana, they are coming off a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 105-115.

Bennedict Mathurin led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds, while T.J. McConnell came off the bench to add 16 markers and five assists.

Despite being out of the playoffs, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle remains upbeat on the NBA team's future.

"We're competing and there are a lot of positives from these experiences," Carlisle stated via ESPN. "We've got cap flexibility and we've got assets. We're headed into a big summer and an important draft."