The defending champion New York Knicks return to the arena where the Indiana Pacers ended their 2025 playoff run when the sides meet in an NBA Cup East Group B game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse early on Saturday, with both teams 0-1 in the group.

New York won three of the four meetings last season and went on to take the title, while Indiana slipped to 19-63 and now sit 4-8 after their first home win of the campaign on Wednesday.

What is the form for New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers?

New York arrive after a 115-107 home defeat to Cleveland ended a four-game winning streak, with James Harden scoring a season-high 32 points.

That loss followed a climb from 0-3 to 6-4, and group-play results count towards the regular-season record under the NBA format, so a second Cup defeat would hurt on two fronts.

Mike Brown accepted that his team kept trapping Donovan Mitchell for too long late on, and Cleveland also took far more free throws than the Knicks over the 48 minutes.

Indiana beat Washington 114-101 on Wednesday for their first home win of the season and their first at Gainbridge Fieldhouse since late March, after Rick Carlisle's unusual fourth-quarter unit scored the first 14 points of the period.

The season-long numbers favour New York at both ends of the floor and on the glass, so Indiana's best argument lies in their shooting, since 46.8% from the field is well clear of the Knicks' mark.

Tempo is the other pull, with Indiana averaging 101.1 possessions a game against 95.1 for New York, and the Pacers need early offence because the Knicks' slower pace hands them more half-court possessions than they prefer.

Venue splits add weight, since New York are 2-2 on the road with a scoring margin of +2.3, while Indiana's 1-5 record in home-designated games, one of them played in Mexico City, carries a margin of -5.3.

Both teams have one day off after playing on Wednesday, although New York's game was the second night of a back-to-back after Tuesday, so rotation minutes are worth watching on a busy NBA schedule.

Brunson's 27 points could not carry the Knicks against Cleveland, and Mike Brown also held Bridges to 17 minutes that night, so how the coach spreads minutes on short rest is one of the quieter stories of the game.

Indiana's 12-of-12 night at the free-throw line from Siakam, who finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and five assists, shows how the Pacers can manufacture points without a settled guard rotation.

New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers team news and rotations

Tyrese Haliburton remains out with a left hamstring strain, and Carlisle said on Wednesday that the guard will miss at least 10 more days.

Aaron Nesmith is a game-time decision with right knee soreness after leaving the Washington game in the third quarter, and Carlisle described tightness at the back of the knee that he hopes is minor.

Ben Sheppard and Johnny Furphy are also out, so Indiana's expected spine is Andrew Nembhard, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac, with Kelly Oubre Jr. or Braden Smith and Nesmith's status settling the last two places.

New York carry no injury designations, and Josh Hart returned on Wednesday after missing three games, which leaves the fifth starting place between Hart and Landry Shamet alongside Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns.

The matchups that could decide Knicks vs. Pacers

Jalen Brunson against Andrew Nembhard is the guard duel, with Nembhard's creation duties growing since Tyrese Haliburton went out and Brunson still the scorer New York lean on.

Karl-Anthony Towns against Ivica Zubac decides the glass, while Pascal Siakam against OG Anunoby is the scoring duel at forward, where Siakam's work at the free-throw line gave Indiana a reliable source of points on Wednesday.

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How do the Knicks and Pacers compare head to head?

Indiana won each of the last two playoff series between the sides, beating New York 4-3 in the 2024 second round and 4-2 in the 2025 Eastern Conference finals.

Game one of the 2025 series is the one the Knicks still replay, since they led by 14 with under three minutes left and lost in overtime, and Siakam went on to take the series MVP award.

Last season belonged to New York, who won the regular-season series 3-1 as a late Brunson three-pointer and an Anunoby steal decided the December game in Indianapolis, so the older history is colour rather than evidence.

New York Knicks vs. Indiana Pacers prediction and betting tips

New York's glass work and defensive efficiency give them the stronger floor, and Indiana have scored only 104.0 a game in home-designated fixtures, so the champions look set to win by a handful of points.

Indiana's route to an upset is a quick start, Siakam at the free-throw line and enough stops to repeat the fourth-quarter surge that beat Washington, although the Knicks' rebounding makes each of those harder to sustain.