The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks had opportunities to close out their first-round series on Tuesday, but fell short, even as favorites in those games. Now, they will both get a second chance on Thursday.
The Pacers are favored by several points against the Milwaukee Bucks, while the Knicks are an underdog against the still-surviving Philadelphia 76ers. Will two more teams go fishing, or will one or two Game 7s be scheduled this weekend?
Here’s a look at Thursday’s NBA playoff schedule with odds, staff picks and previews.
All odds from BetMGM. Find the best deals on StubHub for tickets.
No. 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 6 Indiana Pacers
How to watch: 6:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Indiana leads series 3-2
Series odds: Pacers -900, dollars +575
Milwaukee didn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo or Damian Lillard in Game 5, but that didn’t matter. Bobby Portis (29 points, 10 rebounds) and Patrick Beverley (13 points, 12 assists) did their best impersonations of the two fallen stars and kept the Bucks alive.
Is this reproducible, especially on the road? Ehhhh. The odds don’t seem to say so, with the Pacers being a heavy favorite at home. But Milwaukee’s win gave Antetokounmpo and Lillard two more days and coach Doc Rivers hinted at a possible return (or was showing some play).
“I think they’re very, very, very close,” Rivers said of the Bucks’ two injured stars after Game 5.
Obviously, if both or even one of these players returns, that changes things. For now, there’s a good chance that neither of them will return just yet.
The pressure, however, is on Indiana in the sixth game. This is the Pacers’ final home game of the series and if it returns to Milwaukee, it would give Giannis and Dame two more days to return. The Pacers are still in control of this series and are heavily favored to move on (-900 odds to advance with only a 3-2 lead), but it feels like this is the game Indiana needs .
A key for Indiana in Game 6 will be restarting Pascal Siakam. He scored 36 and 37 points in the first two games of the series but hasn’t reached 20 points in the three games since. His shooting volume has decreased and he is just 5 of 19 (26.3%) from 3-point range in this series. Myles Turner has been huge in the last two games in Indianapolis, dropping 29 points each, but he was held to a series-low 13 points in Game 5. One of them will need to play a leading role for Indiana to advance.
Expert Picks for Bucks at Pacers
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No. 2 New York Knicks vs. No. 7 Philadelphia 76ers
How to watch: 9 p.m. ET on TNT
New York leads the series 3-2
Series odds: Knicks -375, 76ers +300
The 76ers will have to win this series for it to truly become a part of Philadelphia sports lore, but Tyrese Maxey’s seven points in 17 seconds at the end of regulation in Game 5 is a historic moment in the NBA playoffs. Getting a 4-point play and then a 34-foot 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to tie the game when your team was facing elimination is the stuff of legend.
Philly had struggled late in this series, but not on Tuesday. Has the dynamic changed? Will the Philadelphia crowd be able to drown out the traveling Knicks fans?
The Knicks might have thought this could be one of the most memorable series in modern franchise history, being able to eliminate a regional foe during its window of competition. Now they might fear it could be an epic playoff collapse.
Philadelphia managed to win Game 5 despite Joel Embiid only scoring 19 points and committing nine turnovers (although he had a triple-double with 16 rebounds and 10 assists). Maxey went for 46 points, edging out another gem from Jalen Brunson (40 points).
The Knicks are still favored to win the series with two chances to win once and another home game in Game 7 if needed, but Philly is favored for Thursday’s game. The 76ers have played a little tight late this series, but perhaps Tuesday’s miraculous comeback will make the team feel like they have nothing to lose.
Our group is relying on the Knicks to bounce back and close out the game.
Expert Picks for 76ers Knicks
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(Photo by Tyrese Maxey: Elsa/Getty Images)
