Knicks vs Pacers series prediction, scouting report: Can Jalen Brunson be contained?
It was just last summer that Jalen Brunson and Tyrese Haliburton were battling for the starting point guard spot on Team USA's FIBA World Cup team.
Now the two All-Star point guards are leading their teams into the Eastern Conference semifinals. The No. 2 seed New York Knicks will face off against the No. 6 Indiana Pacers starting Monday (6:30 p.m. CT, TNT) at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks survived a hard-fought first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers, winning in six games. The Pacers upset the No. 3 seed injury-riddled Milwaukee Bucks in six games.
Indiana will be facing another top team in the East that's missing a valuable piece. The Knicks are without three-time All-Star forward Julius Randle, who had season-ending shoulder surgery, but Brunson's stellar play and a strong defense has covered up Randle's absence for the most part.
This matchup will be a clash of styles. The Pacers have the NBA's second-highest rated offense but rank 24th in defense. New York ended the season with a top-10 offensive and defensive unit.
How Pacers can pull upset
The Pacers made an aggressive move before the trade deadline by acquiring two-time All-Star Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors to team up with Haliburton. Siakam is averaging 21.3 points and shooting a career-high 38.6% on 3-pointers.
The 76ers didn't get consistent big-time performances from their two stars on the same night against the Knicks. Haliburton's playmaking combined with Siakam's scoring could give the Knicks trouble if they are on the same page. Indiana has the ability to play an up-tempo brand of basketball, where its depth could overpower the short-handed Knicks.
Can Knicks overcome depth issues?
Three of the top five Knicks by scoring average are either hurt or have been traded, but that hasn't stopped the show in New York. Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau at times went with a trusted rotation of six players during the first round and they have played well.
Brunson has led the way, but the Knicks also have quality defenders to throw at Siakam and Haliburton. They can use elite wing defender OG Anunoby to guard his former teammate Siakam and attempt to make Haliburton one-dimensional. The Pacers' point guard averaged 19.7 points and 13.3 assists in three regular-season games against the Knicks. At least one of those numbers needs to go down.
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Knicks vs. Pacers: Who wins?
The Pacers can struggle on defense, but that offense is potent. New York has been able to overcome the absences of multiple key role players, but a long series may favor the Pacers. Haliburton was dynamic against the Knicks this season and Indiana is currently the deeper team.
Prediction: Pacers in 7
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Knicks vs Pacers in NBA playoffs: series prediction, scouting report
