NBA Playoffs 2024/25, Conference Finals, Game 5, Friday, May 30, 2025, 2:00 a.m.
After logging into Winamax, I head straight to the basketball section. That’s where I want to place a Knicks Pacers tip for Game 5, which I personally think has excellent chances of success.
As part of my Knicks Pacers prediction, I’ll share some interesting facts and figures that could significantly influence your own betting decision for this match.
Madison Square Garden will not be the venue for a basketball game on Thursday night – but rather a battle for survival. A team on the brink of disaster will face a team marching toward the finals with almost cheeky confidence.
Indiana leads 3-1 – but anyone who thinks it’s a done deal hasn’t really been following the Knicks in recent weeks.
There have been many moments when you thought, “That’s it.” And then Brunson came along. And Hart. And this bizarre team spirit that somehow makes up for everything the team lacks in depth, freshness, or structure.
And yet, after Game 4, a lot seems broken. Physically and mentally. Allowing 130 points against a team that actually has a worse shooting percentage at the Garden – that can’t happen in the playoffs. Especially not in a game where your own offense scores 120 points.
But the Knicks managed to make Tyrese Haliburton look like the reincarnation of Magic Johnson. 32 points, 15 assists, 12 rebounds, zero turnovers – that’s not just strong, it’s historic.
It can’t be said often enough: in the entire history of the NBA, only two other players have achieved such stats in a playoff game. Oscar Robertson and Nikola Jokić. That says it all!
The Knicks know that Game 5 is all or nothing. 81 percent of teams that win when the series is tied at 2-2 advance to the next round. Conversely, that means that teams trailing 1-3 are out in 95 percent of cases. And that’s exactly why they’ll be tearing themselves apart in Game 5.
Hart will grind through 40 minutes again, Brunson will put up 30+ again – and Coach Thibodeau will again rely on exactly seven players, even though he actually has twelve in his squad. But that’s exactly the problem. The rotation has run out of steam.
Randle may be out, OG is injured, Hart is playing with abdominal problems, Hartenstein is being dragged across the court like an old refrigerator – and yet they still have to find a way to win this game.
The only hope: Indiana isn’t perfect. The visitors often lose their defensive shape, their shooting is sometimes heavenly, sometimes wild – and they are emotionally vulnerable. Especially on the road.
That’s the crux of the matter. The Pacers are the better team in this series, no question. They are fitter, faster, more versatile, have five players who can score in double digits – and a Haliburton who knows exactly when to pass and when to take over.
But: The Garden is not a place like any other. The Knicks may be 3-5 at home in these playoffs – but no one in the Big Apple wants to take Game 6 back to Indiana with a loss.
And that last point alone can tip a game. Especially when someone like Brunson explodes again. In Game 2, he had 36 points and 11 assists – and the game was basically over after the third quarter.
The only question is: Does he have another game like that in him? Or will the Knicks construct finally collapse?
And that’s exactly where my betting recommendation lies. I say: The Knicks will win this game by a narrow margin. Not because they are the better team, but because the moment belongs to them. It will be ugly, it will be heated, it will be a basketball game of pure willpower.
The Pacers won’t play badly, but at some point in the second half, they will sense that it’s not enough today. Not in the Garden, not against a desperate team that deserves another home game.
My conclusion: It will be a game decided by the fight. The Pacers are in better shape overall, but the New Yorkers can beat anyone at home on a good day, even when they’re struggling.
A lot will depend on how well the NYK defend the zone this time, but at the end of the day, I think they have the better chances. However, the victory will be so close that you’re better off with a HC bet on the visitors at a German bookmaker.
My tip: Pacers win with HC +8.5
