(3) New York Knicks vs. (4) Indiana Pacers
Regular Season Series: Knicks 2-1
Key Insights
The New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers largely flew under the radar for most of the regular season, relegated to a tier below a couple of 60-win teams in the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. Both the Knicks and Pacers also struggled out of the gate, but they kept grinding and just got better and better, evidently.
Indiana, in particular, has been superb in these playoffs, dispatching the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in Round 1 and then sending the 64-win Cavs home also in five games. New York has been impressive in its own right, beating the Detroit Pistons in six hard-fought games before upsetting the 61-win Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semis.
Of course, pundits will say injuries played a part in the Pacers’ and Knicks’ unexpected ascent to the Eastern Conference Finals, with all of Damian Lillard, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jayson Tatum missing important games. Would the outcome have been any different had New York and Indiana taken on full-strength teams? It’s a possibility. But both teams played whoever was in front of them, and they proved superior in many respects.
Now, it’s the 1990s all over again, with a redux of one of the NBA’s most storied rivalries.
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Players to Watch
New York Knicks
Jalen Brunson
(28.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 7.7 APG)
Brunson has arguably been the best player in the 2025 NBA Playoffs thus far—better than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic. His 28.8 points per game have something to do with that, but so does the timing of his scoring outbursts. In the first two rounds, Brunson has been the league’s premier closer, time and again coming up huge when the Knicks need him the most.
Josh Hart
(13.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.8 BPG)
Hart is the classic do-it-all glue guy any championship team needs. He doesn’t do anything spectacular, but he makes winning plays—a big offensive rebound here, a timely assist there, defensive stops everywhere. Before you know it, he’s filled up the box score while helping the Knicks win the game.
Mitchell Robinson
(4.2 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 0.9 SPG)
Robinson hasn’t started a game in these playoffs, and his numbers are modest at best. But his defense has been a game-changer—and it’s something the Celtics could attest to for sure. Don’t be surprised if he gets a bigger role and more minutes against an Indiana team that’s second in scoring in the postseason (117.7 PPG) and is first in field goal shooting (50.1%).
Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton
(17.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 9.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.9 BPG)
Haliburton has flat-out balled ever since that anonymous survey of players calling him the most overrated player in the Association. He’s hit two game winners in that span already, including the series clincher against the Bucks and the dagger against the Cavs. When he’s not hitting game-winners, Haliburton has been orchestrating the Indiana offense to perfection and leading the postseason with 9.3 dimes a game.
Myles Turner
(16.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG, 2.5 BPG)
Turner elevates the Pacers when he’s engaged because he can do damage on both ends as evidenced by his 16.5 points and 2.5 blocks a game. He will have to be aggressive on offense against the Knicks’ stingy defense (105.9 OPG, fifth best in the postseason) and on-point on defense against the prolific and versatile Karl-Anthony Towns.
Andrew Nembhard
(14.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.4 SPG)
Nembhard has been a model of consistency for the Pacers—not spectacular, but certainly solid on both ends. He’s both steady and heady, seemingly with the knack of making the right plays at the right time. He’ll probably see an uptick in minutes and responsibility as he will very likely find himself guarding Brunson for long stretches.
Matchups to Watch
Jalen Brunson vs. Andrew Nembhard/TJ McConnell
Brunson is the engine that propels the Knicks forward, and his clutch shot-making in the fourth might likely mean the difference between New York getting to the Finals or falling to the Pacers. Nemhard and McConnell will probably be tasked to make sure Brunson is kept in check, especially when in the final 12 minutes of games.
Tyrese Haliburton vs. Josh Hart/Mikal Bridges
Haliburton may not be as prolific as Brunson overall, but he has also been Mr. Clutch in these playoffs. He is to Indiana what Brunson is to New York: the heart and soul, the engine. Hart and Bridges, with their height and length, will likely be asked to keep Haliburton from orchestrating the Pacers’ offense and making the big plays when the game is on the line.
Myles Turner vs. Karl-Anthony Towns
Turner has played about as well in these playoffs as he has done all season long, just enough shots and anchoring the Pacers’ interior defense to the tune of 2.5 rejections a game. KAT, in contrast, has been rather underwhelming this postseason, putting up 19.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.8 steals—all down from his regular season averages of 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.0 steals. He might be due for a big series, and it will be up to Turner to prevent that.
DFS Tip
Feel free to go all-in on Brunson and Haliburton as they will likely put up big numbers regardless of the defenses employed. They’ll both get the ball a lot in this series, which means they’ll have plenty of opportunities to rack up points and dimes.
That being said, consider taking a gamble on Towns, who has largely been off in the first two rounds. As mentioned, he’s due for a big series, and he has played well against Indiana this season, averaging 30.3 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists on 56.6% shooting overall. At the same time, look for OG Anunoby to be a well-rounded contributor for the Knicks as well.
On the other side of the fence, look for Nembhard to be a solid fantasy lineup filler as he’s likely to continue playing well for the Pacers. But for a low-cost, high-value pick, try McConnell and Aaron Nesmith.
