Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

ESPN Computer Model Predicts Winner of Pacers-Knicks Game 1

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Matt Audilet | Last updated May 20, 2025 2:35 PM ET

The No. 3 seed New York Knicks and No. 4 seed Indiana Pacers will begin their Eastern Conference finals series with a Game 1 matchup at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

The Knicks fought their way to the conference finals with series wins over the No. 6 seed Detroit Pistons and the reigning NBA-champion Boston Celtics. The Pacers reached their second consecutive ECF with series wins over the No. 5 seed Milwaukee Bucks and No. 1 seed Cleveland Cavaliers.

New York City is buzzing as its franchise makes its first Eastern Conference finals appearance since the 1999-2000 season. The home crowd at MSG will no doubt deliver an electric home-court advantage on Wednesday night.

ESPN's predictive computer model gives the Knicks a slight edge over the Pacers in Game 1, predicting a 52.3% win probability for the home-team squad.

The Knicks are led by the 2024-25 NBA Clutch Player of the year, Jalen Brunson. In New York's series win over the Celtics, Brunson averaged 26.2 points and 7.2 assists per game — shooting 44.5% from the field.

The Pacers are led by Tyrese Haliburton, who averaged 17.4 points and 7.0 assists per game in Indiana's series win over the Cavaliers.

"Great player. He's done a lot. He's quieted a lot of people," Brunson said of Haliburton before the ECF. "He's obviously their engine, and they go as he goes. He does a lot for their team, so it's gonna be a tough task... Happy, obviously, for his success."

Game 1 will tipoff at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: