NBA conference finals: Bets that stand out for Pacers-Knicks Game 5

The NBA playoffs march on Thursday with Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Oklahoma City Thunder cruised to a Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday to advance to the NBA Finals. Who will join them?

The Indiana Pacers are one win from punching their ticket but are 4.5-point underdogs in Thursday's Game 5 matchup with the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

With tipoff set for 8 p.m. ET, here are our analysts' bets that stand out for the game.

Note: Odds as of publication. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET.

Bets that stand out for Thursday's Game 5

Josh Hart over 9.5 rebounds (+110)

Even though Hart is coming off the bench, don't let that deter you from this bet. He has cleared this line in three of the four games in this series, averaging 17.5 rebound chances and 35.6 minutes per game against the Pacers. Indiana isn't a strong rebounding team, and Hart has capitalized on that all season, going over this number in six of seven games against the Pacers. -- Moody

Jalen Brunson over 30.5 points (-120)

Even battling through foul trouble in this series (16 fouls in four games, two in which he had five fouls), Brunson has averaged 33.3 PPG with at least 31 points scored in three of the four. The exception was Game 3, when he got his fourth foul in the first half and played only 31 minutes and scored 23 points. But this is an elimination game for the Knicks, and Karl-Anthony Towns is questionable with a knee injury that visibly hampered him late in Game 4. The Knicks will be leaning on Brunson more than ever, and I expect him to be aggressive as a scorer from the opening tip. Brunson averaged 39.5 PPG in the first two games of the series at home and would likely need to produce at a similar level for the Knicks to have any chance to extend the series. -- Snellings

T.J. McConnell over 7.5 points (-115)

McConnell was just short of this mark in Game 4 with six points, but that game was an outlier for the Pacers' backcourt. Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin, who had been averaging a combined 25.3 PPG in the series, exploded for a combined 52 points. Mathurin, in particular, was aggressive as a scorer in the second unit where McConnell typically thrives. I expect a reversion toward expectation in this game, with McConnell returning to the form that saw him score at least 10 points in five of the six games leading up to Game 4 (including Games 1-3). -- Snellings

Projections and injury reports

Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds by ESPN BET.

Indiana Pacers at New York Knicks
8 p.m. ET on TNT

Line: +Pacers 4.5 (-115) | Knicks -4.5 (-105)
Money line: Pacers +145 | Knicks -170
Total: 223.5 (-105 O, -115 U)
BPI Projection: Pacers by 1.2, straight up 54%, 224.5 total points.

Injury report:
Pacers: Aaron Nesmith (GTD - Ankle); Isaiah Jackson (OFS - Achilles)
Knicks: Karl-Anthony Towns (GTD - Knee)