Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
We have a 10-game NBA slate on Friday, headlined by a double-header on ESPN. It begins with the New York Knicks hosting the Indiana Pacers before the Los Angeles Lakers entertain the Phoenix Suns. Indiana vs New York is a rematch of the 2023-24 Eastern Conference semifinals, so to say that this in an intriguing contest would be an understatement.
Here is my Same Game Parlay for the festivities, which will be televised starting at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN. Also be sure to check out our full Pacers vs Knicks predictions when they become available.
Pacers +5 (-110)
Under 225.6 (-110)
Andrew Nembhard Over 9.5 points (-113)
Parlay odds: +536
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as Indiana point guard Andrew Nembhard scoring his fair share of points would obviously work well with a Pacers cover. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with also taking the under, but there is no reason why it can’t cash even if Nembhard sinks a few buckets. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Pacers +5 (-110)
The Knicks should be among the best teams in the East when it’s all said and done, but there could be some growing pains in the early stages. That’s because they are a bit of a different squad than they were last season, when Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were among the roster’s key components. Those 2 guys were shipped off to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns, while Mikal Bridges was acquired from the Brooklyn Nets much earlier in the offseason. Not too surprisingly, New York got clobbered by the defending champion Boston Celtics 132-109 in the season opener on Tuesday in a game that was pretty much over by the end of the first quarter. Towns did not do much of anything and Bridges – who has retooled his shooting motion – went a modest 2-for-7 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Indiana won at the Detroit Pistons 115-109 and 5 different players scored at least 14 points. The Pacers dominated Game 7 at Madison Square Garden by 21 points, so they can certainly win inside that venue during the regular season. At the very least they should keep it close.
Under 226.5 (-110)
Although the Pacers love to play high-scoring games, this should be a playoff-type atmosphere in what is the Knicks’ home opener. That means there will actually be a commitment to defense – even though it’s a regular-season game in the NBA. Four of the last 5 contests in the 2023-24 playoff series between the 2 teams resulted in no more than 19 points. New York scored a modest 109 points against Boston on Tuesday, while Indiana’s opener against Detroit was mostly a defensive struggle in which the Pacers went 9-for-31 from the land of plenty and the Pistons successfully dialed long distance just 9 times in 33 attempts. I think enough defense will be played to keep this one under 226.5.
Andrew Nembhard Over 9.5 points (-113)
Nembhard scored a modest 8 points in the season opener, but he played well enough – also dishing out 7 assists while record 1 steal. I expect him to be even more active against the Knicks, whom he torched in 2023-24. In 3 regular-season matchups with New York, Nembhard averaged 10.3 ppg on 42.9 percent shooting and a 4-for-8 effort from 3-point range. The Gonzaga product really heated up in the Eastern Conference semis, contributing 12.3 ppg on 54.7 percent shooting – including 52.6 percent from deep. He scored 20 points in Game 7 on the road and also went for 15 in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden. Asking Nembhard to reach double-figures in his return trip the Big Apple should not be too much.
