The No. 3-seeded NBA Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday, and I've conjured up four expert player prop picks to accentuate this matchup for bettors.
Here are the four player props for your wagers, including an UNDER on a PRA (points + rebounds + assists) prop for Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton (-118) on May 21.
Tyrese Haliburton UNDER 32.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists vs. Knicks (-118 at Sportsbook)
Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, 8 p.m. ET
Haliburton has the potential to be a Trae Young-esque villian to diehards of the Knicks in this series, and that's something the multiple-time All-Star will likely try to have some fun with. He's played a pro wrestling heel on WWE programming in the past, ironically enough when going toe-to-toe with Jalen Brunson in the squared circle on SmackDown, so if anyone is capable of embracing the hate about to come their way, it's someone like Haliburton. Unfortunately for Game 1, though, in front of a raucous crowd that's been hurting for basketball this late in the year for such a long time, the heat of the moment may lead to some underwhelming numbers on his box score.
During last year's Game 1 in the conference semifinals, Haliburton only mustered up six points, two rebounds, and eight assists across 36 minutes of action in what ended up being a 121-117 loss to the Knicks. It was one of just two instances the entire postseason (15 games total) in which he failed to score 10 or more points in a game. Haliburton has gone UNDER a PRA of 32.5 in five of the last seven meetings with New York going through this past season and last year's series, and just recently during the Pacers' 4-1 series victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 25-year-old floor general also went UNDER in Games 2 through 4.
Bennedict Mathurin OVER 9.5 Points vs. Knicks (-135 at Sportsbook)
Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, 8 p.m. ET
No one player on Indiana scored more total points through the three matchups with the Knicks during the regular season than Bennedict Mathurin, who contributed 76 across 96 total minutes when none of his teammates had more 51. One of those nights saw the Montreal native drop 38 points on 13-of-18 shooting on Nov. 11 as a starter, which he no longer is, yet in the two games in which Mathurin came off the bench, he still managed to average 19 points and convert better than 50 percent from the field.
Now he only totalled four points over the last two games versus Cleveland, but keep in mind that he was ejected for an altercation involving De'Andre Hunter in Game 4 after seeing the floor for just over a minute, and the Pacers' starting five saw heavy minutes less than 24 hours later in a closeout game of the top team in the East. There's no denying just how successful Mathurin was in those three games with New York, and with his scoring prop set at a modest 9.5 points, which he easily toppled all three times, as well as in the opening three games with the Cavaliers, this feels like easy money.
Karl-Anthony Towns OVER 33.5 Points + Rebounds vs. Pacers (-128 at Sportsbook)
Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, 8 p.m. ET
It was evident from the opening tip of Game 6 against the reigning champion Boston Celtics on May 16 that the blueprint was to get Karl-Anthony Towns going offensively early and often, and that unfolded with him taking his most shots of the series with 20 in 34 minutes to end with a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds. Those numbers likely would have been much greater had the end result not been wrapped up by halftime, but that was still the confidence booster Towns and the team in general needed heading into this all-important matchup with Indiana, who the 7-footer lit up with both his scoring and rebounding during the regular season.
The Pacers were one of just two teams (Chicago Bulls) that Towns played at least three times and averaged better than 30 points (30.3, to be exact) against. To go along with the 12 rebounds he was grabbing, Towns ended up toppling a 33.5 combination prop in all three games, never finishing with fewer than 36 (Oct. 25) and ultimately maxing out at 52 (Feb. 11). Now he's only achieved an OVER in six of his 12 playoff appearances, thus far, but Towns has shown he can dominate Indiana around the basket, and New York simply can't afford to forget about him when he's been that good.
Josh Hart OVER 21.5 Points + Rebounds vs. Pacers (-102 at Sportsbook)
Preview: Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks, 8 p.m. ET
If Towns was the Knicks' most lethal option against the Pacers during the season, even with Brunson being his superstar self, an argument can be made that starting guard Josh Hart was second in the pecking order in of the value he brought to the table in those particular encounters. Hart was producing a double-double of his own with averages of 22 points and 10 rebounds while shooting a scoring 62.7-percent from the field and adding 4.7 assists along with 1.3 steals on the defensive end. He was also playing a smidge under 40 minutes, as well, as stamina has never been an issue for Hart and the other starters around him under head coach Tom Thibodeau.
He'll need at least 22 points and boards in Game 1 to reach an OVER at nearly even money, which Hart went a perfect 3-of-3 accomplishing versus Indiana. The Boston series was another story altogether, though, as Hart did go UNDER in three of the last four games. These are obviously fresh circumstances with a brand-new opponent, though, and bettors should be salivating at the possibilities of what Hart can generate in a conference finals with a New York backdrop.
