The Indiana Pacers hope to even the series at two apiece. Can the banged up New York Knicks pull away?

Catch the game this Monday, May 13th, at 3:30 AM, Manila time.

AWAY: Indiana Pacers (1-2)

Projected starting five:

• Tyrese Haliburton
• Andrew Nembhard
• Aaron Nesmith
• Pascal Siakam
• Myles Turner

The Pacers made it a series by winning Game 3, 111-106, in what was yet another war. They showed a lot of fight despite struggles in the second half and trailing  by as much as nine in the fourth quarter. That extra push paid off, generating confidence and that should help them in their climb back.

All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton is at 25.0 points and 8.0 assists in the series, and has put up 34 and 35 points over the last two games. He’ll continue being an interesting watch while he orchestrates this high-octane offense. Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner are right there with him, all while playing good defense. Siakam has to be better from the line, though, as his 60% clip (9/15 FTs in the series) has put the team in tough situations.

We should continue seeing ‘3 and D’ guy Aaron Nesmith as the main defender of Jalen Brunson, with guards TJ McConnell and Andrew Nembhard also taking turns. The latter played the hero role in Game 3 by hitting the clutch 3, so he could come out firing on Monday.

HOME: New York Knicks (2-1)

Projected starting five:

• Jalen Brunson
• Donte DiVincenzo
• Josh Hart
• OG Anunoby (questionable) / Precious Achiuwa
• Isiah Hartenstein

The banged up Knicks, who are without Julius Randle, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell Robinson, and now, OG Anunoby (day-to-day), were due for a loss. They remained feisty and pesky in Game 3, but ultimately fell short and blew a nine-point, fourth quarter lead. It put Donte DiVincenzo’s career playoff game of 35 points and seven threes to waste.

Still, there’s hope that DiVincenzo could carry over his hot shooting on Monday. He’s now at 27.8 points with 5.8 threes per game in his last four outings. He and Josh Hart, who, on the other hand, is sitting with workhorse averages of 17.1 / 13.3 / 5.1 in the playoffs, have been quite the help for Jalen Brunson. It’s what the All-Star needs because while his league-leading 34.6 PPG in the postseason is a sight to watch, it won’t be right for him to keep doing it nightly, as evident in getting hurt over these past few games.

Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa (assuming Anunoby remains sidelined) will continue filling the frontcourt. Anunoby had 28 points in 28 efficient minutes in Game 2 before injuring his hamstring, and his presence is missed.

PICKS:

Spread: Knicks (+5.5)

Over/Under: Over (218.5)